The Legend of Zelda: Pearl of Darkness
by Hylian Guy
Summary: After the events of Majora's Mask, Link is thrust into a new adventure in Myrennia, the land adjacent to Termina. Dark Link arrives to complicate things, and Link gets wrapped up in Myrennia's cumulating history of warfare and hatred.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Puffs of steam blew from Link's nostrils into the crisp, cold morning air. He looked up into the treetops above, searching for a change in the endless gray mist. There was still no sign of Navi, his old guardian fairy. It had been almost a year since he last saw her, and he was beginning to think about giving up his search. Epona snorted and shifted her position. Link looked over at his horse and sighed.

"Well, it's about time we get moving again," he said, standing up and brushing off the dirt on his tunic. "Sitting around here won't do any good."

During his search for Navi, he had been transported to the world of Termina, a world parallel to Hyrule. When he had arrived, he had found a skullkid wearing a strange, powerful mask, putting a dangerous spell on the moon. His journey was interrupted as he hurried across the country to get the help of the four giants; otherwise the moon would collide and destroy everything.

Luckily, with the aid of time travel, he was able to find them all, and they successfully held back the moon while he battled the skullkid. He then locked the evil powers of Majora back into the mask, releasing its prisoner. This skullkid, who was actually just an innocent person who had fallen under the mask's spell, had two fairies as friends, Tatl and Tael, who were sister and brother, respectively. Tatl had accompanied Link in the adventure. After saving Termina from its fate, Link was on his way again, and he left all three behind.

Link hopped up onto Epona and they resumed the journey. The forest looked exactly the same as it had the whole morning. A slight fog covered the ground. The leaves were still; there was no wind.

Suddenly he heard a quiet tinkling sound behind him. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was getting louder. He turned around and spotted a small purple glow off to the side, ducking in and out of the thick tree trunks. A purple ball of light with wings flew into view. It was Tael, the fairy brother of Tatl. Tael seemed to be out of breath, and made dinging sounds every once in a while.

"Link! Link! I found you! You've got to help me!"

"What's going on?" Link asked, confused.

"It's Tatl! She's gone!"

"Slow down there!" Link said, wrinkling his brow. "Did she just leave? Did someone take her?"

Tael gasped for breath. "We were playing hide-and-seek with skullkid in the bushes, and then I heard something that sounded almost like someone dropping a torch into a puddle of water. I looked over the tops of the bushes and saw her being sucked into this weird hole!"

"So then you're saying she was kidnapped?" Link asked.

"I think so. I'm not sure how something like that could happen otherwise. But I did see a glimpse of jagged black mountains inside the portal before it disappeared. I'm pretty sure it was Myrennia, a place to the east of Termina, past Ikana Canyon. Please! You have to help me look!"

Link glanced back at the section of the forest he would have explored next. He was having no luck in his search for Navi. Besides, there was a chance she was taken to the same place Tatl was, however that had happened. He looked back at Tael, sighed, and then nodded, hopping back on Epona.

) () (

Link followed Tael up the dark, winding staircase in Ikana Castle. The staircase came out onto a crooked, cracked patio near the top of the canyon. Luckily, the castle was built right against the wall of the canyon. The canyon wall was jagged and easy to climb from the patio.

"Hurry up," Tael urged. "I hate this place."

"I'm not too fond of it either," Link replied, shuddering. The whole desert-like canyon was thick with a deathly feeling. Earlier in his adventure, he had had several encounters with the dead here. He had helped a cursed king break free and finally rest in peace. That was what freaked him out the most. He felt so jumpy around the place, as if that crazy king and his soldiers were still watching him.

Link was able to grasp the top of the brown, crusted dirt that made up the canyon. After a few tries, he was able to pull himself over the top of the canyon. He looked down the hill of reddish-brown dirt to find that it led down into an endless forest. The tops of the trees formed a dark green ocean stretching into the horizon.

Link looked back over Ikana Canyon toward Termina Field. Epona couldn't come with them; she wouldn't be able to get out on top of the canyon. Link had left her with Romani and her older sister, Cremia, at the ranch. He trusted she would be fine until he got back, assuming he did get back.

"How far is it to the mountains?" Link asked.

"Far enough. Hurry up." Tael flew ahead impatiently, and Link turned to follow him down into the forest. It was going to be a long walk.

) () (

Finally emerging from the forest at night, Link found himself standing in a large clearing of the forest. Groups of stone houses with thatched rooftops stood nearby, with reddish brick paths connecting each to a central road. A few houses had strange white lights set on posts at the end of their walkway.

"Hayen village," Tael said sleepily. "We've entered Myrennia." As he was drifting about aimlessly above, Link looked around. Something didn't feel right. The breeze shifted, and his hat swung in the opposite direction. The shadows seemed to be moving...whispering...calling his name...

"So you've finally come?" He whirled around at the sound of the raspy voice. In front of Link was an exact copy of himself, only black. It was just like his shadow, but three-dimensional. Link backed away in horror.

"Who – w-who are you?" He stammered. Wisps of the shadow whirled around him.

"Why, I'm Dark Link. Exactly the same as you, and at the same time, exactly the opposite." He unsheathed his shadowy sword, letting forth a puff of black mist.

"But...who...how...I don't get it!" Tael stuttered, looking back and forth.

"Master Ganon created me as an evil copy of you. He ordered me to kill you. Well, here we are." Link took the opportunity to swiftly unsheathe his sword and swing it at the shadow. In the blink of an eye, Dark Link ducked, then shot his arm out and grabbed Link's wrist, twisting it around. There was a sharp snapping sound.

"AAAGH!" Link yelled in pain. His eyes watered, blurring his vision, and his arm burned, throbbing with the warm blood rushing through it. He slumped to his knees. Tael watched in shock as Dark Link strolled away into the night, disappearing into the shadows of the forest. Link wavered back and forth for a few moments and then fell sideways to the ground.

) () (

"He looks all right...it's just a minor fracture..." Link slowly opened his eyes to find a bright light shining in his face. He squinted, closing his eyes again. "Look! I told you he's okay! Hey, Link! Can you open your eyes for a minute?"

_How does he know my name?_ Link wondered. As he tried to lift his arm to shield his eyes from the light, he winced in pain. It started to burn again.

"Whoa, careful now! You need to keep that up in a sling for a while so it can heal. Are you left handed, or what?"

Link's hope dropped to the floor, smacking right through it and continuing on into the ground. Being left handed, the only thing he used his right hand for was his shield. He lifted his right arm to shield his eyes, then slowly opened them to adjust to the light, and saw Tael flying above, along with a few people standing around him. The bright light shining in his eyes hurt, and he sat up carefully. He found himself sitting on a table in a small room.

"Who are you?" Link asked.

"I'm doctor Pedanski," said a short, middle-aged man with brown hair and a moustache. "Your fairy here was telling us all about you, and that's how I know your name."

"I hope you don't mind," Tael said, laughing nervously. "And I forgot to tell you, Link, but these people use these really cool stones as a power source. They have really bright lights," Tael said. "Now, are you okay? That shadowy guy left toward the mountains. Do you think he's the one who took Tatl?"

"I don't know," Link said, rubbing his head. _Maybe Tael should learn to keep his mouth shut._ The people crowded around the table even closer, eager to get all the information they could.

"You saw the shadow kid?"

"He took someone? I knew that guy was up to no good!"

"You know of him?" Link asked nobody in particular.

"I hear he has a hideout in those haunted mountains, to the east," replied the short old man who had spoken first. "I've seen him, standing on a ledge, just staring at nothing." He shuddered. "Lately I've been hearing strange sounds from way up there. Almost like a little bell. It was very odd."

"Tatl!" Link whispered to Tael. Both fairies made sounds like a bell sometimes, especially when they were excited or angry.

"Unfortunately, nobody can go see what he's up to, because the mountains are inaccessible from the light world. There are legends of a secret dark world, much like the light, only darker of course, and there are evil things everywhere. I hear there are ancient catacombs up there in the light world. Nobody knows what the dark world holds."

"Stop it, Garod! I hate hearing those dark world tales! It's best if we just leave that dark child alone! I don't want anything to do with him!" Argued a woman in the room.

"Oh come on! It can't hurt to talk!"

"Well, you're just going to encourage young Link or scare him away! You don't need to bring him into this!"

"Then you can leave! I'm telling the stories, whether you want it or not!"

"Why, you grumpy old-" The room filled with shouts and some of the Hayens charged at each other, shouting, while others tried to hold them back. Link slipped off the table and struggled to push through the mob. They didn't seem to notice him as he ducked through the door into a hallway. Spotting an exit at the end, he dashed out of the building to find it was morning.

"Tael, do you think Dark Link has Tatl up in the mountains?"

"I can't think of anything else that could be making a dinging sound in that place."

"Well, let's go!" Link started off toward the forest between Hayen and the mountains. Tael flew in front of him.

"You heard him! He said the mountains are _inaccessible_ from the light world! We have to find a way into the dark world first! Besides, you can't go with that fractured wrist! Face it, your right hand is near useless with a sword!"

"You're partly right," Link sighed, "we'll have to find some way into the dark world...but we're not waiting around here! What will Dark Link do to Tatl? We'll wait for the Hayens to stop arguing, and we can go ask that one old guy to tell us more later. What was his name...Garod!"

Tael sighed and gave in. "All right...we'll go talk with him. As for you leaving, it's your choice. I think it'd be better if you stayed and rested a while to let the wrist heal, though."

"If you don't want to come, don't. I'm going as soon as I find out what I need to know," Link said.

Inside, Tael knew he wasn't going to get along with Link very well.

5


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As they explored the village, Link came across a sign, pointing north, that said "To the lake." A path led through the woods past the sign. It curved out of sight a few yards in. On the opposite side of the village there was another path, but there was no sign. There was no telling what was at the other end of the path. Link made mental notes to remember his way around in case he had to be quick. Turning around, he saw that the Hayens were out in the streets looking for him. He quickly grabbed Tael and ducked behind a nearby building.

Garod went straight across the street and entered another building, except this one was made of wood, unlike the other stone houses. As soon as the other villagers had passed out of view, Link ran across the path and knocked on the door. A small hole opened up in the door and Link saw a gray eye peering out from the dark. The door opened and he was quickly pulled inside as the door shut. It smelled of cedar and rock dust in the old, dark house.

Link couldn't imagine what could be causing that strange, burning, powdery smell in there. Suddenly he heard a grinding sound and a small glow appeared in front of him. He jumped as he saw the small, frail old man's face illuminated from below. The man called Garod was rubbing stones together, and they had started glowing.

"Follow me," he whispered and creaked across the floorboards toward the wall to the right of the front door. Fumbling around with his buttoned pocket, he pulled out a small key, shaped like a snake, with an emerald embedded in its eye. Then, prying out a small wood chip from the wall, he shoved the key into the hole and turned it.

There was a small click from somewhere in the room. Garod stumbled over to a table and pushed it aside. "Help me lift this, will you?" he said quietly, beckoning to Link. He cautiously walked over to Garod, and the man started feeling around on the floor. Link squatted down next to him and noticed a rusting hinge in the old boards at his feet.

"Oh! Here we are. Move over a bit, you're standing on the trapdoor," Garod said, and shoved his fingers into a crack between the floorboards. Link watched as he lifted a small square of the floor up, revealing a stairway below. He followed closely behind Garod as they started down the dark stairs. Garod turned around and pointed to the opening above.

"Make sure to close that!" he whispered. Link reluctantly backed up and grabbed the trapdoor, lowering it until it was closed. Now the only light came from Garod's glowing rocks. Stopping near the bottom of the stairway, Garod turned and placed one stone in a small notch in the wall.

It started glowing brighter, and Link squinted to see past the light shining in his eyes. Garod gasped and stumbled over, and Link tried to grab him with his left hand. Realizing it was in a sling, his right arm shot out in front of Garod. He would have to get used to this.

"My books..." Garod mumbled in pain. Link looked up, and as his eyes adjusted to the odd light, he saw a small room, with hundreds of papers scattered across the floor, books lying face down, pages torn out, and bookshelves leaning against each other, some with broken shelves. He couldn't even see the floor.

The old man grasped the edge of a bookcase, and Link flinched as it creaked, leaning over the slightest bit. Garod didn't seem to notice and continued to mumble worriedly as he shuffled through the papers, trying to get them in order. Link quickly stepped down to the floor and tried to help him sort the papers, asking him which should go where. They started organized piles on the stairs, and worked their way through the room, trying to create enough room to stack papers on the floor.

Tael flew around above, trying to help but not able to lift anything. He flew along a few inches above the papers and read off page numbers and titles; anything he could find. Noticing a bit of color in the sea of yellowed paper, he hovered closer and took a look at the piece of paper. It looked like a map.

"Link, come over here," he called. Link shuffled through the papers as quickly as he could, and lifted the map. It was in good condition, compared with the rest of the library. Seeing "Hayen Village" upside down on the right side of the paper, he quickly flipped it over and continued looking. This could be useful later on.

"Hey, would you let me borrow this, or at least copy it or something?" he asked in Garod's direction, holding up the map.

"Ah! That's what I was looking for! Come over here," the old man replied with a toothless grin. Link found his way along the path he had created, and sat down on the bottom step next to Garod. "Now, this is a map of Myrennia. Over here is where the haunted mountains are; that's where I think the dark kid hides." He pointed to the east edge of the map.

"How can I get into the dark world?"

"Well, if one wants to travel between the light and dark worlds, one needs the pearl of darkness. Supposedly, the king knows something about it, so he would be the one to talk to," Garod said. "I'm not sure how that kid got the pearl, but...well, anyway, I wanted to help you, so take this map, and I also have a spare Glode rock for you."

He held his hand out to Link, holding the other rock he had been using. "Rub it against any hard surface nearby to make it glow, but it'll wear off after about an hour, so use it wisely."

"Thanks," Link said, "here, let me help you clean the rest of this up."

"Oh, you don't have to!" protested Garod.

"No, you need the help, and I need some way to thank you. I'll put all the paper into stacks, and you can sort them," Link said, standing up and getting to work straightening his previous piles.

"Well...thank you, you're too kind...I just wish I knew how this happened..."

) () (

Link set off down the path into the forest in the direction of the lake. Taking a look at his map one more time, he confirmed the location of the castle, on the other side of the lake. As soon as the trees parted, he froze. One eyebrow raised. Over the center of the lake, nearly black clouds were crowding above a small island.

As far as he could tell, the island was covered in snow. It looked half a mile away, and there was white mist or something blocking his view. Suddenly a cold breeze swooped in from the lake, and he shivered. He started moving again, and as he rounded the lake along a path between sand dunes, a huge palace came out from behind the storm, just where it was shown on the map.

"Hey...do you think we'll have an easy time talking with the king? We probably won't be allowed in..." Tael mumbled.

"...You're right," Link said, stopping again. "Well, let's go anyway, and we'll see when we get there. There may be another town there."

) () (

As they approached the castle, Link noticed how large it was. Getting a look through the archway on the other side of the drawbridge, he saw there was a small village within the outer wall, and then behind another wall lay the castle. A small stream connected the moat and the lake ahead. There was a stone road stretching west into the forest, and it crossed the stream, leading to the drawbridge.

Before he went through the gateway, he turned around and looked at the small island again, shaking his head. The clouds were still there, and only there. "You know, I think it might be a good idea if I went alone," Link said, recalling Tael's big mouth.

"That's not fair!" Tael shouted. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have found anything out about Dark Link!"

"Well, if...if..." Link looked at Tael for a few seconds, then groaned and said, "fine. But we don't want to attract attention. Trust me; when I first went into a town with Navi, everyone-"

"Who's Navi?" Tael asked. It occurred to Link that he had never told Tael about Navi.

"She was my old guardian fairy. She disappeared a year ago. I was looking for her when skullkid found me and led me into Termina. But that's beside the point. Most townspeople don't see fairies often, and I don't want people staring at us. Just hide under my hat or something." With that, he grabbed Tael, lifted his hat, and shoved him in, pulling the hat back over his head.

"Hey! Let me out!" Tael screeched from inside.

"Be quiet. You can either hide under my hat or stay out here."

"Fine! So let me go already!"

Link sighed and took his hat off again, and Tael flew around in a circle a few times to stretch himself. "Now, just stay here until I get back. If you get bored, too bad, this was your choice." He adjusted his hat until it was comfortable, and then casually walked through the market gates.

) () (

Lively red, blue and yellow banners flapped in the wind. Neatly pruned bushes, flowers and trees were crowded together in several small, contained earth mounds. The upbeat sound of fiddles, flutes and tambourines played throughout the market. The delicious aroma of freshly baked bread wafted into Link's nostrils. He looked around with a crooked open-mouthed smile. This was even better than Hyrule Market.

"The freshest fish in Myrennia! Get them while you can!"

"Beautiful beaded necklaces from afar! They're on sale only today!"

Link pushed his way through the crowd, looking at each booth he passed. The variety of products was endless. There were artistic glass vases, twisted wind chimes, freshly fried cucco, even scented firewood. He was inspecting a rug when he realized that he didn't even have any rupees with him and he had no use for a rug. Shaking his head, he tried to block out the vendors' shouts and headed toward the inner wall.

Finding his way through the crowd, he found that an iron gate guarded by a soldier blocked the path up to the castle. Link approached him, imagining what to say. The guard looked down at him and cleared his throat.

"Can I help you?"

"Well...I need to see the king," Link replied.

"I'm sorry, but you can't get in without the king's permission," he said. "Were you invited?"

"No, but...I need to see him...I have to ask him some questions."

"Well, like I said, unless you have a signed letter allowing you inside, I can't let you through."

"Ok, well...thanks anyway..." Link said, wandering off into the crowd. He had to see the king. It was his only hope for stopping Dark Link. But how could he get in?

4


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"We should go back to Hayen and ask Garod where we should go from here," Tael offered. Link sat against a rock in a small grove of trees outside the castle walls, and Tael was hovering above him.

"Then we'd have to go all the way back around the lake," Link said, "and it'll be night before we get back. Plus, I'm starving. Maybe we should look around the market for a while, and then maybe we can stay the night. I saw an inn while I was there. You'll have to stay under my hat until it's safe, though."

Tael sighed and looked up at the sky. It was already getting reddish, and the sun was getting ready to drop beneath the treetops. The lake reflected the brilliant color. "I guess you're right...but please, try to hurry. I'll probably suffocate in there."

"All right. We'll go find the inn, and you can stay in our room while I look around for a bit and get some food," Link said, taking off his hat. "We'll go back to Hayen first thing tomorrow." Tael sighed again and then flew in, and Link pulled it over his head loosely. Looking around, he stood up, stretched his arms, and then left the shelter of the trees to head back into the market.

As they entered through the gate, most shops were already closing up. Link spotted the inn across the way and made his way to the door. A sign hung above with the picture of a bed on it. "Now, keep quiet until I tell you it's ok," Link whispered, opening the door.

) () (

By the time Link got back outside, the sky was a dark blue, and faint stars were appearing. A soft reddish glow lingered in the west. There was only the slap of feet leaving the market and a few friendly good byes to be heard. The market was pretty much empty, but there were a few shops open, and one of them was a restaurant. Link decided to get some food and head back; there would be more shops to browse through in the morning.

The large, grease-covered restaurant owner was just getting ready to close up as Link came into the narrow, long building. Fortunately, he let Link order some food to go, eyeing the boy suspiciously. Link ordered a bottle of Octorok Stew, and stood around waiting while the man went into the back room. After a few minutes, he came back with a bottle full of the hot, brown, meaty liquid.

"Can ah get anythin' else fer ya?" The man said, rubbing his hands in a dirty white cloth.

"That'll be fine. Thanks," Link said, leaving the restaurant awkwardly as the man continued to watch him. The sun was completely gone, and the sky was turning black. Crickets chirped somewhere, and the cool wind rustled through the small trees planted around the market. The square was empty.

Suddenly, he swore he heard someone call his name. Spinning around, he was still alone. A few stray dead leaves spun up into the air, circling around a dark spot on the ground. Link squinted at it, and noticed blackish bubbles pouring out.

The whispering started up again, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. After looking around for a few more seconds, he broke toward the inn in a mad dash. He heard what sounded like a splash behind him, but he didn't turn around. The sound of feet clicking on the stone street echoed behind him, and he pushed harder. There was the inn!

When he reached the door, he noisily swung the door open and slammed it behind him, tripping over his own feet as he rushed toward the stairs. The innkeeper was nowhere in sight, so he headed straight for his room. He heard the door open and close again behind him, and he ran down the hallway desperately, looking for his room. Suddenly he stopped. The numbers on the doors were too high. They were getting higher. He was going in the wrong direction, he realized in terror.

Skidding to a halt, he started dashing in the opposite direction, his heart feeling as if it would explode from the pressure. As he approached the stairway, a shadow barreled out of the hallway connecting with the stairs, ramming into his right side. He slammed into the wall and rolled to the side, dropping the bottle of stew to the red carpeted floor, holding his left arm in pain. Something was on his chest. He opened his eyes to see Dark Link crouching on top of him, his sword drawn.

"You just don't give up, do you? You should've taken your idiot fairy and gotten out of here while you had the chance!"

"Why didn't you kill me before? You told me Ganon ordered you to do it. If I had run, you would've lost your chance," Link said, trying to keep calm, although his fear was plainly visible.

"Ganon can't control me. I can do as I please. I felt you had to suffer at least a little before your death. I knew you'd keep coming back."

"I'm only here because you kidnapped a friend of mine, and I won't leave until you let her go."

"Well then! You won't be leaving anytime soon." Dark Link raised his sword.

Link brought his feet up to his dark twin's stomach and flung him off, then scrambled to his feet. Stuffing the bottle of stew into his sling, he ran down the hallway toward his room. There was a loud growl behind him, and quickening footsteps. He saw his room, there at the end of the hallway. Fumbling for his key as he ran, he kept his eye on the window straight ahead.

He could see a reflection of the hallway...but Dark Link was not there. He spun around, confused, to see the three-dimensional shadow diving toward him. Before he could figure out what was going on, he ducked, and Dark Link flew over him, exploding through the window in a smoking ball of shadow. Link quickly unlocked his door and entered the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Tael, we may have a slight problem," he said, leaning against the door. The fuzzy purple ball of light rose from sitting on the bed.

"Ah...I thought I heard something. What's going on?" he yawned. Link pushed off from the door and went to the window. It was too dark to see anything down there.

"Dark Link chased me here...he flew out the window outside, but I'm not sure what happened to him. I don't feel too safe here."

"I thought something like this would happen," Tael sighed. "Now you're going to suggest we run off to the other side of the map in pitch darkness."

"Actually, I was thinking more of going to Hayen, and find out a little more about this whole deal with the king. Maybe there's another way into the mountains. We won't be going exploring at this time of night, don't worry," Link said. Suddenly he stopped talking. There was a thumping sound coming up the hallway. He ran to lock the door, then stepped back to the other side of the room.

The thumping stopped, and Link's heart followed its example. Shadows were pouring in from under the door like smoke. He took one look at Tael, and with the first whack on the door, he frantically opened the window as fast as he could with one hand and climbed out onto the windowsill, holding his breath. Tael flew out with him.

"How does he know we're here!" Link whispered in confusion.

"Never mind that right now! We need to get down from here. There's an awning below," Tael whispered, "to your left."

"I can't see anything," Link whispered back, his heart in his throat. The sound of hacking at the door continued. "Quick, fly down there! Your light should be enough for me to see where it is." Tael did so, and Link could see the blue and white striped cloth stretching out from the building across the alley. "I can't jump that far!" Link half whispered, half shouted.

The sound of the heavy wooden door crashing to the ground seemed to propel Link forward, and he leaped with all his might.

3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The awning held under Link's weight, but it felt like it would tear any second. His mind racing, he climbed onto the reddish ceramic roof tiles a foot above the awning. His boots clacked against the shingles as he ran along the top of the roof. He didn't know where he was going, but for now, the plan was simple: run. A two-story building rose from the rooftop ahead, blocking his escape.

Leaping to the top of an archway going over the street to his right, Link teetered on the edge for a few seconds and then continued across to the next rooftop, a flat open patio with plants scattered throughout. He paused for a few seconds and looked back toward the inn. A dark shape stood in the window. Suddenly it disappeared.

"Hurry, Tael," Link whispered, and started running again. The outer wall of the market was just ahead; a small gap separated it from the roof. There were no guards up there, but a narrow walkway stretched along the length of the wall. With one more jump, Link was across. He lost his balance and tripped over the other side, splashing into the moat below.

"Link, what is wrong with you?" Tael gasped for breath, flying down next to him. "You're going to freeze to death!"

"The drawbridge is closed at night! And we had to get out somehow or Dark Link would-" Suddenly there was a noise. A sort of clicking, squeaking, and groaning. "Tael! The drawbridge is going down! Hurry, under my hat!"

Link grabbed the reluctant fairy and shoved him under the hat, then quickly swam underneath the lowering drawbridge. The thick planks of wood hit the ground, and it was quiet for a few seconds. There were footsteps above, and Link held his breath. His bones absorbed the icy cold temperature of the water, and he struggled not to shiver violently. The current threatened to pull him out into the open, so he dug his heels into the muddy bottom.

The footsteps had changed from the hollow wooden sound to a quiet slapping against the stone path. Waiting for a few seconds, Link cautiously swam out from under the drawbridge and pulled his head up to ground level by grasping a dirt-covered root sticking out of the bank. He could barely make out the dark shape heading southwest, using the dirt path around the lake.

"Who is it?" Came a whisper from under his hat.

"I think it might be Dark Link," Link replied, "heading around the lake." He lifted his hat to release Tael.

"How'd he lower the drawbridge? The guards should have been watching it...and he made it there so fast," the fairy said, flying around in a circle.

"It doesn't matter. I think he's going to Hayen, figuring I must have gone back...come on. We need to follow him...I don't want him to do anything."

Link climbed out of the water into the chilly night air. A soft breeze blew past him, and he shivered, his teeth chattering. His hair and tunic were soaked. Taking a look at Tael, who then flew behind his back to block the light, he set off to follow Dark Link, his Kokiri boots squishing and squeaking across the dark, dusty path. Aside from that, it was quiet for a few minutes.

"I'm hungry, Link...did you get the food?" Tael groaned.

Link reached into his sling and pulled out the stew. "Must be a pretty tough bottle. Looks like it's all there, and I don't think any water got in. Might be useful later."

"Is that Octorok Stew? That stuff is disgusting! Don't you have any taste?"

"Shush," Link whispered, holding the bottle in his right hand and untwisting the glass lid with his left, "it happens to be my favorite. And it's this or lake water." He lifted the rim to his lips and let the boiled, gravy-smothered chunks of meat slide down his throat. "And next time, tell me what kind of food you like, if you're going to be so picky," he finished, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"I don't remember this," Tael said, referring to the field of corn ahead. Link looked around and noticed he couldn't see the lake any more.

"Must have gone off the path. It's probably over those dunes...do you see Dark?"

"I think we lost him. Come on, let's get back on - " _Rustle. Crack._

"What was that...?" Suddenly Link saw the dark shadowy clone standing on the edge of the woods. "Tael, under the hat!"

But Dark Link had already seen him. The shadow started to walk towards the two, becoming faster with each step. Shoving the fairy under his hat, Link dove into the corn stalks. Wet, dew covered leaves slapped his face, and he ran through several spider webs.

There was a flash of black to his left. Link swerved to the right, through a couple of rows, and then turned left again, trying to brush the web off. He skidded to a halt and squatted on the ground, looking around through the corn stalks. All he could hear was the chirping of crickets. Suddenly, there was a rustle coming from somewhere in front of him.

He started running in the opposite direction, trying to weave his way through the field randomly. After turning countless times, he suddenly broke out of the crops. Looking around, Dark Link was nowhere in sight. After climbing over a dune nearby, he found the lake and started running along the path away from the castle, nearly tripping on the rough ground.

"Link, let me out!"

"Quiet," Link whispered, "not yet." He wiped his forehead. His head was starting to ache. The thud of his feet against the ground throbbed through his ears, and he winced in pain with every step.

Managing to open the bottle as he ran, he took another sip, hoping it would help. Suddenly he tripped in a hole in the path, sending the bottle flying onto the ground. It spilled onto the grass, but luckily the bottle hadn't broken. He got to his feet, picked up the bottle, and kept running, trying to bear the piping hot stew that was dripping onto his hand.

The path went into the woods just ahead. He was almost there. His eyes started to close, and he let out a deep breath, trying to stay awake. A sharp pain shot through his gut, and he bent over, still running, pressing his left arm across his stomach.

He felt his hat fly off, but his legs wouldn't stop moving. It was if they were machines, programmed to dash down the almost invisible trail through the trees, stopping for nothing. Just as he burst into the clearing of Hayen Village, his left leg cramped up, and he winced, trying to keep from fainting. What in the world was going on?

Stumbling blindly past the houses, he looked for Garod's. It was too dark, and he didn't remember which one was which. His vision blurred, and the houses began to split into two images. He couldn't take it any more. His legs gave way and he thumped to the ground, gasping for breath, before everything went black.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Wake up, Link..." an old, raspy voice echoed in Link's head. Something grabbed him and gently shook him. Link groaned and opened his eyes. Garod stood above him. "Ah! Good, good! I was beginning to think you might not come around. You might want to consider not passing out in front of my house again tomorrow night, I won't be there."

"I passed out again? What happened?" Link squinted into the bright light and sat up. He was in the same room as last morning, but this time only Tael, Garod, and doctor Pedanski from last morning were in the room with him. The doctor spoke up.

"Garod woke me up last night after finding you. He had heard a sound outside and there you were, lying on the ground. Said you looked pretty bad. I ran some tests on you during the night. Seems you had shadow poison flowing through you. I also found traces of it on the glass bottle you had with you. Don't worry about it though; it's all right now."

"What IS shadow poison?" Link asked, his eyebrows scrunched.

"It's made from a certain plant found in the swamp to the northeast. It can be used in almost any food or drink. It's tasteless, colorless, and quite deadly. It causes the symptoms you were having last night, and then, if it isn't treated soon, it'll kill you. The only known cure is the nectar of a flower in the Kenak jungle, east of the swamp. Luckily I had some."

"Oh, and Link?" Garod said quickly, "when you're feeling better, I want you to come to my house. Remember, it's right across the path, the only one made of wood. Just come right in." He opened the door and walked outside, letting it swing shut.

"Sorry Link, but your hat's gone," Tael said. "I tried to carry it, but it was slowing me down too much, and I couldn't stand being in those woods any longer, so I left it. I went back to get it earlier this morning, but it wasn't there any more."

"That's okay," Link sighed. "I would have done the same thing. Did you ever see Dark again?"

"Nope. From the time you dropped me on the ground until the time I found you, I was alone. But I'm worried about all this. He might come to the village and do something tonight. Remember how we've never seen him in the daylight? I wonder if he finds it irritating. That may be a good thing to remember."

) () (

"And I never got to talk with the king. The whole trip was pointless. All I got from it was a bottle full of poison. And now I don't even have that any more."

"Oh, don't worry. I washed it and saved it for you," Garod said, standing from his chair and walking into another room. Link followed. "For the time being, we can forget about the king. We need to talk about all these threats. Somehow, the stew you had was poisoned. Where did you get it?"

"I bought it from some restaurant in the market. The guy was about to close, but he let me in. He was looking at me kind of strangely."

Garod opened a door in the hallway and went into the kitchen, where the bottle was sitting on a table, sparkling. "Here you go," he said, handing it to Link. "Anyway, you know to stay away from him. Now. You say this 'Dark Link' had no reflection. That would indicate he isn't really in the light world. However, if he were in the dark world, you would just see a shadow on the ground. My theory is that he is sort of in between the two worlds, if you understand."

Link nodded. "I think so. So, he has access to both worlds at the same time?"

"Exactly. I'm not sure what advantages he might have because of that, but it worries me. Now, follow me. I was searching for information about the pearl of darkness, and I found something interesting."

The three went back into the main room and Garod opened the trapdoor to the basement. He continued to talk as they made their way down the stairs.

"Apparently the king hid the pearl in an ancient shrine, located in the woods east of town, long ago. He sealed the temple doors, and it hasn't been touched since. The only way to unlock it is with the legendary Elemental Sword, combined with the four medallions that power it. Unfortunately, he scattered those throughout the land as well."

"So, the only way to get the pearl is to go collecting all those things? Where can I find them?"

Garod placed the Glode rock into its socket and went across the room to one of the bookshelves. "Nobody knows but the king. It says here that his ancestor used to have a map, marked with the locations of the four medallions. Nobody knows where he kept it, but I think I have an idea where."

"So then we DO have to worry about the king," Tael groaned, "I knew it."

"No, no! The map is supposed to be still hidden in the south castle."

"South castle?"

"The castle of Myrennia used to be to the south. A long time ago, we were at war with Ikana, to the west. We had sent spies to investigate their land, but they never returned. Instead, the Ikanian army did a surprise attack on our castle. They defeated us, our castle was ruined, and the king had been killed in the battle. Many say the Ikanians brought a curse, and it was released upon the land when they defeated us."

"Really? What kind of curse?" Link asked.

"The land started withering over the next few years, and the forest died away. Now all that's left is a barren wasteland, a desert of crusted dust. Well, the Myrennians who had escaped noticed something was happening to the woods, so they fled north. A new castle was built under the previous king's son, the one you visited. But, I think you still may be able to find the map in the south castle ruins."

"And how is that?" Link sighed, listening to Garod flip through the yellowed pages of a book.

"Says here the secret room is in a basement, a few floors below ground. It's probably still intact."

"So...how did you get this, if it's so secret?" Link said, looking at Garod suspiciously.

"My ancestor was the king's most trusted attendant. He was the only one the king allowed into the secret room, and he wrote about it in his journal. Not even his son knew about it. I don't know if the map is there, but it's your best chance. Now, you need to get some rest. You can't go out there with your broken arm," Garod said, gently escorting Link upstairs.

"No, I have to go. If I wait too long, Dark might do something to the fairies. I can't hide from him forever."

) () (

After drinking his fill from the village well and filling his bottle with water, he had set out down the unmarked path south in a jog, despite Garod's advice. After a few minutes, he started running faster.

"Link, slow down! You're just going to hurt yourself more!" Tael panted, trying to keep up with Link's constant running. Suddenly he ran straight into the back of Link's messy, sandy blond hair. "Hey! Why'd you stop?" He flew up over Link's head.

Link was standing on the border between dark, rich soil, lush grass...and dry, cracked, light brown dirt. The "desert" stretched out into the distance in front and to both sides. Looking around cautiously, Link took the first step into the quiet, lifeless wasteland.

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"How much farther could it be?" Link groaned under the burning sun, slowly dragging his feet along the plain of packed dirt.

"I can't be far now," Tael replied, resting on top of Link's hair. His nesting place was hot, but it was better than nothing. He looked back north. The forest was no longer in sight. Turning around, he thought he saw something. "Link! Look...just ahead!"

Link lifted his aching head and held up his right hand to block the sun. "I...don't see...anything..." he wheezed between breaths.

"You're looking right at it! The castle is there! I can see it!"

) () (

Myrennia Castle (South Castle), year 132

King Karles jumped as he heard the wooden door of his bedroom creak open, then relaxed. It was just Gerald, his attendant. The tall, slender man gingerly crossed the blue, gold and white rug - Myrennia's official colors - and stopped in front of the king, bowing.

"Sire, the Garo tribe is waiting for your command," he said. "When shall they leave?"

Karles stroked his graying beard. "We need them to leave as soon as possible. I've been having dreams about this Ikana from the west. I think they are planning something, and if we don't attack them, they will attack us. But we need information on their stronghold before going to war."

The king stood. "I will address them myself," he said. He winced as one of his legs collapsed beneath him, and he barely grabbed the edge of the table before hitting the floor.

"Let me help you," Gerald quickly moved around the table and put a hand on the king's arm.

Karles shook him off. "No, I'm fine." He pulled himself upright and grasped the sapphire-studded handle of his cane. Gerald gave him a concerned look. "Well?" Karles said as he jerked his head toward the exit. Gerald bit at the inside of his cheek, the corners of his eyebrows turned down, and then he hurried back through the hallway, the king slowly hobbling after him.

) () (

A distant pile of rubble was beginning to take shape, atop a large chunk of land that had risen about forty feet above the ground. Link stopped and took a sip from his bottle of water, then looked back in that direction. Hopefully it wasn't a mirage. If both he and Tael had seen it, maybe their chances were better that it was real.

"All right," he said, with a little more strength. "Let's go check it out."

) () (

Ikana Castle, year 132

Igos Du Ikana tapped his fingers on the armrests of his throne. Sunlight filtered in through two high windows on his left, leaving squares of light on the stone floor of the hall. Six young men and women danced in the center of the room, dressed in bright purple motley, jumping and spinning across the stones. Tambourines, flutes and harps played an upbeat song, composed by none other than the royal family's personal composers, Sharp and Flat.

He glanced over at his wife, the queen, clapping along, smiling, and everyone else enjoying themselves. But something else was on his mind. A Garo ninja from the east had been spotted overlooking the village. The enemy was investigating. Something had to be done, or Ikana was toast. The castle was very vulnerable from behind; having been built right against the hillside.

After the dancers had left, he sent word to Keeta, his army's captain. He was a giant, about thirty feet tall. If anything was to be done about the spies, he was the one to get it done. He looked up at the window closest him. The Garo would not be returning east, if he could help it.

) () (

Link looked up at the huge chunk of earth in front of him. The crumbling wall of dirt became a crumbling wall of stone blocks about three fourths of the way up. He could see an opening in the stone blocks. It would be best to shoot for that spot. He backed up a bit, and then jumped for a horizontal crack in the side of the cliff. His right hand barely grasped it, and his feet kicked at the dirt for a few seconds before he found a rock jutting out next to his knees.

He grunted and swung one foot up to stand on the rock. As soon as he put his weight on it, it broke off from the dirt wall and he fell with it to the ground, pieces of dirt raining down on him. He blinked and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the dust. Tael's voice came from around the corner.

"Link! There are some stairs over here!"

) () (

Ikana Castle, year 132

"Sire! The stone tower...!" King Igos' attendant rushed into the throne room, panting for breath.

"What is it?" Igos asked, feeling a rush of fear flow through him.

"Someone opened the doors to the stone tower!"

"WHAT!" the king yelled as he stood to his feet, his expression a mix of fear and anger. The ancient stone tower was to be closed at all times. Legends said it held a deadly curse, which could be unleashed upon the canyon if it were ever opened. Nobody knew if it was true, but they were about to find out if those doors weren't shut!

Igos strode down the steps to his throne and quickly made his way out of the castle, his attendant following him reluctantly. When they left the castle walls, the village looked the same as usual, except for one thing. The stream normally running through the center of the village and cascading off the edge of the mountain was not there. The bed was bone dry.

The king ran up the hill to his right. The door was open, all right. There was a circle of dead grass around the entrance. But where was the door? The gaping hole in the stone was left wide open, with no way of closing it.

Suddenly he gagged as his throat tightened. He bent over and noticed that the area of dead grass had expanded past his feet. Looking over at his attendant, he almost doubled over. The man looked fifty years older than he had but a second ago. From the look on his face, the same thing was happening to Igos.

He turned around in horror to look back at the village, and then he saw a dark shape in the rocks overlooking the kingdom. It was a Garo. The hooded cloak made it too dark to see its face. But Igos was quite sure that it was smiling.

) () (

"All right," Tael said as Link stumbled through the rocks strewn about the ruins, "what are we looking for again?"

"We're looking for a basement. The map should be there." He looked hesitantly up at a crumbling archway, then winced and rushed under it, half expecting it to come crashing down on him.

"Ok. So...what if it's covered with these rocks?"

"We'd better hope it isn't," Link said, jumping through a hole in the wall into an enclosed courtyard. "And let's hope we get really lucky. I'm not too confident in finding that secret map Garod was talking about."

"Are you saying you don't trust him?" Tael asked blandly.

"No, I trust him. But I don't think it'll be a walk in the park to find something that was secret in the first place, then got covered up by a bunch of rocks." The pair rounded a corner and Link spotted a small opening in a pile of rocks the size of his head. Through the hole, he could see a tunnel. "Well, what do we have here? Let's get these rocks moved and then see if this goes anywhere."

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Link carefully stepped down through the dark, spiraling tunnel. A few steps here and there had fallen below, and he passed chunks of them around the corner.

"Watch your step, Link...you don't want to trip on anything," Tael reminded him, flying cautiously above his head.

"You think I don't know that? Why would I want to trip on something! Just shut up and follow meeeeeeee!" Link yelled as his foot fell on a loose stone and he slipped, tumbling head over heels down the twisting corridor. The echo of his shout flew through the hallways ahead of him as he thumped painfully to the bottom of the stairs.

"You idiot! Someone might have heard that!" Tael hissed at him, hovering down through a crack between steps as a shortcut.

"There's no one here, genius! We're in the middle of the desert!"

The sound of a small rock falling to the floor echoed its way down the dark, musty hallway into Link's ears. The two turned to look down the tunnel. The ceiling arched out of view above and met the floor about thirty feet apart. A dull blue carpet stretched along the floor into the darkness.

"Genius indeed," Tael grunted quietly, as Link slowly started going down the tunnel. "Shouldn't you be using your Glode rock?"

"Not now. I can still see down here. I might need it later." Link stopped for a few seconds and then turned around to look at Tael with eyes that clearly said "hello! I need your light over here!"

Tael closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and flew over to Link, lighting up the stone slabs and decaying carpet in front of his feet.

) () (

Myrennia Castle (South Castle), year 132

"Fall back! Fall back!" Karles shouted above the painfully loud screams, explosions, crumbling rock and the clanging of iron against iron. A streak of fire lit up the night sky, and he dove to the ground as a burning chunk of coal exploded into millions of fiery pieces against the stone wall. His blue velvet cape caught fire, and he quickly rolled through an archway into the hall to put it out.

The sound of those dreadful living skeletons filled the hallway, and he could see the light of their torches around the corner. Karles fumbled for his cane, fallen upon the floor a few yards away. The plan had failed. Instead of destroying the Ikanians, the opening of their cursed stone tower had actually strengthened them to some extent, turning them into indestructible living dead.

Of course, he realized that the army of Myrennia was no match for them any more. They had to escape somehow. If only they hadn't been cursed, Myrennia would stand a fighting chance. Ikana had attacked during the night, and the surprised Myrennians had hardly had time to get into armor before the castle walls were demolished. If only they could find the skeletons' weakness!

Determined to get his cane, he continued to drag his weak body along with his hands. Suddenly the sound of footsteps stopped, and a wave of panic washed over him. He barely had time to turn around to look before it happened.

The skeletal body of Igos Du Ikana stood above him, wearing the royal breastplate of Ikana, holding a very long, very sharp spear, drenched in blood. Karles swore he saw the fleshless jaw give a hint of a smirk as he rose the spear above his head with both hands, ready for his chance at revenge.

) () (

"You're sure this is the right way?" Tael asked worriedly as they passed through another small doorway. "It looks the same everywhere we go."

"I'm not sure of anything," Link said, raising his voice a bit louder than he should have. "I don't know a thing about this castle. What, did you expect me to know all its secrets or memorize the blueprint?"

"Well, I assumed it wouldn't take this long."

Link kept walking in stony silence, his teeth clenched to prevent any noise from leaving his mouth. They came to another fork in the tunnels. He turned right, and noticed the light fading away. Looking back, he noticed Tael had gone through the doorway on the other side of the hall.

"Tael! I need you!"

Tael just continued flying. Link bit his lip, looked back and forth between Tael's disappearing glow and the darkness ahead, and then pulled out his Glode rock.

"Idiot," he mumbled as he rubbed the stone against the wall to start it.

) () (

Forest of Fungi, year 132

Gerald glanced back through the trees at the blazing, noisy castle behind. The Myrennians were moving through the forest as fast as the slowest person in the group could go, so as not to leave anyone behind. King Karles had said he'd be fine...said he couldn't leave. It took all Gerald's strength to keep his legs moving forward, deeper into the forest.

The group had escaped through the evacuation tunnel, built from the castle basement out into the forest. Now they were heading for the Amathar mountain range, to the Goron city of Pyrobia, where they would be safe until...well, until it was safe to come out again. Hopefully, the Ikanians would leave, allowing them to rebuild the castle.

He looked back again. They were far enough away to light a Glode rock now. He stopped to rub one on a tree and then caught up with the group, lighting their way through the black forest. A few minutes later, they broke from the trees and came to the mountain base.

Gerald froze. Shouts echoed through the night air. It took him a few seconds to realize that the noise was coming from the tunnel to Pyrobia, and not from behind. He quickly shoved the Glode rock into a deep pocket of his tunic and turned around to face the group.

"I'm going up ahead to see what's going on," he said. "Wait here until I get back...and keep hidden."

) () (

As Link's Glode lit up the hallway, he squinted and looked around. Wooden doors lined the left side. All of them had three iron bars across the windows. He cautiously crept up to one and looked in. Skeletons littered the dusty floor of the small room. One of them wore a decaying blue cape, lying next to a long white staff.

"What the...looks like a king or something..." Link said out loud, confused. He turned around, his eyes searching the walls. Finally he found what he was looking for: a jumble of nails, rotten wood, and keys on the floor against the wall. He ran over to them and bent down, picking out all the key rings so he could try them all in the door.

Through the jingling of the keys, he thought he heard something down the hall. He held the rusty keys still and stared into the darkness, holding up the Glode rock. But there was no more sound.

His own words seemed to echo in his head. "There's no one here, genius! We're in the middle of the desert!" He shook his head and then grunted as he stood. The first key wouldn't go all the way in, so he pulled it out of the hole and dropped it, getting the next one.

It fit in the hole, and when he turned it, there was a click. The door groaned open on its rusty hinges, and Link let go of the key, leaving it in the lock. He knelt down by the skeleton with the cape and looked it over, wary of touching it. It sure looked like some kind of royalty, but he couldn't tell for sure.

He jumped halfway to the ceiling when the sound of a door slamming filled the room. Spinning around, he saw that the door to the cell had closed. There was a click, and his eyes moved toward the barred window. Standing on the other side of the door, his eyes burning a deep red, was the very person he expected. It was Dark Link.

The shadow held up the iron ring with the keys attached, gave them a little jangle, and then smiled, turning to go back down the hallway.

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

By the time Link could bring himself to look through the ancient iron bars of his cell, his shadowy twin was gone.

"Come back here!" Link yelled angrily down the hallway, pounding his fists on the thick wood. He clenched his teeth and slumped against the wall, sitting on the cold, damp stone floor. Now what was he going to do? He was stuck in a cell with hundred-year-old skeletons.

It occurred to him that he should try to find a way out before the Glode rock failed. He scanned the small room. As far as he could tell, its only contents were the pile of bones, some chains, ragged scraps of cloth, that scepter, and himself.

Maybe there was more than one key for the cell. He could try to reach across the hallway with the scepter and pick up one of the rings. It was worth a try, anyway. Link slowly stood up, stretching his arms, and then reached to pick up the scepter.

It was then that he noticed the grating on the floor. A way out! But...why would they put one in the cell? Why were there still bodies in here? Shouldn't they have escaped?

"I don't care," Link decided, working his fingers under the iron grill, "it's an escape tunnel and I'm using it." Suddenly he stopped. Something smelled funny. Like...rotten eggs, or something. He looked around for a few seconds, sniffing at the air, but couldn't tell where it was coming from.

Suddenly, a sheet of iron slid down in front of the door, sealing it off completely. Something felt horribly wrong about this whole thing. He turned back to the grating, and then his hands shot back, his eyes bulging out of his head. A cloud of greenish gas was pouring into the room through the rusty grating, rising to the ceiling.

"TAAAEEL!" Link yelled, slumping back against the far wall.

) () (

Tael had explored plenty of small rooms, but none of them contained anything other than dust, charred pieces of old furniture, and crumbling stone. It occurred to him that the passageway could be anywhere...maybe even hidden under a tile in one of the rooms.

But it'd take forever to look in each one, and he couldn't lift anything that big without Link. He glanced back down the hallway, biting the inside of his cheek, trying to decide whether he should go back. Suddenly he heard footsteps and a low, raspy cough, sounding if the cougher's throat were full of phlegm. He ducked into a nearby doorway, hiding under a piece of a burnt chair to try to hide his light.

It could've been Link, but he knew the sound of Dark Link's voice by now. The cough sounded too much like Dark, and he wasn't taking his chances. Besides, Link had that light-up rock. The glow would've been visible if it were him. Tael sat there under the collapsed chair, waiting for the footsteps to pass.

) () (

Link decided he had to do something. Tael wasn't coming, and the room was filling up with gas quickly. If the vent passed under the other cells, maybe he could get through, find a cell with an open door and get out. He'd have to crawl through, holding his breath. It seemed crazy, but he decided he had no other choice. He was starting to feel a little dizzy.

The rusty grating lifted easily, and he turned away, taking a few deep gulps of clean air. On the third inhale, he held it and then dove into the duct, pulling the grating closed behind him. He closed his eyes to keep the stinging gas out, and scrambled through the small tunnel, slapping his right hand against the ceiling to feel for more openings.

His breath was soon used up with all that frantic movement. By now, it didn't matter whether he took in a breath or held it, he felt like he would die either way. Finally giving in, he gulped in the green cloud, coughing at the heat and the disgusting taste.

His eyes started watering, and his arms stopped working. His legs soon followed, and finally, with the last of his struggling breaths throbbing through his head, the rest of his body slumped to the floor of the duct, and the sound of breathing was gone from the tunnel.

) () (

Tael cautiously peeked out into the hallway to confirm that Dark was gone. There was no sign of him any more, so he relaxed. He had to go warn Link. Suddenly, he realized that the shadow had been heading in the direction Tael had come. The cough had come from in front of him, and he had heard the footsteps pass by the door.

That thought got his adrenaline running, and he realized with horror that he wouldn't be able to warn Link, if his dark twin were really heading that way. Dark Link was between the two, and Tael couldn't risk being seen. He quickly decided to follow the shadow slowly. It was all he could do to keep himself from bursting into a yell and zooming down the tunnel frantically.

) () (

Dark Link opened the ventilation ducts that would release the gas outside, and after a few minutes of waiting, pulled the lever that released the locks on the cell doors. The screech of the mechanical doors sliding back up into place echoed through the hallway. He didn't have much time. The sleeping gas would wear off soon, and then he would lose his chance.

Sure, he could've left Link in his cell to starve, but this was just a whole lot more fun. The sleeping gas shut down his system temporarily, and when he came to, he'd be too weak to defend himself, especially considering he only had one good hand, which he wasn't used to.

A gasp of anguish and anger escaped his lips when he peered into the cell. There was nothing but bones and dust. That was the cell he had trapped Link in, wasn't it? Maybe he had forgotten. He would have to quickly check the other dungeon wing on the other side of the castle to find out.

After examining the cell just to make sure, he scratched his head and then left toward the other dungeon wing. Link couldn't have escaped from there with those iron shutters over the doors. He grumbled to himself worriedly as he strode back down the hallway. He had really been looking forward to this...

) () (

Tael came out from his hiding spot behind a door and peeked into the hallway Dark Link had come from. It was where Link and Tael had split up. He flew through the doorway and looked around the long room. Rows of barred doors lined one wall. He peeked into the first one and his eyes grew wide.

Skeletons littered the floor. Tael quickly moved on to the next one to find the same thing. Suddenly, he heard a groan from inside. He looked back and forth but didn't see anything, so cautiously flew between the bars in the window.

"Link? Is that you?" he whispered quietly, looking around at the piles of yellowed bones.

"I'm in here," came the weak, dry voice again. Tael looked down and saw the edge of an iron grate in the floor, half covered in bones. Something was moving underneath it. He looked more closely and then jerked backwards as it started raising.

Link's head popped out. Dark bags had appeared under his eyes, and his lids were half closed. His skin was an unnaturally dull color.

"It's kind of hard to move, but I'm ok," he said with much effort. "I'm not really sure what's going on, though. Why are we here, anyway? And where is here? I can't see anything, it's too dark."

He was answered with a silent stare from Tael.

"Look, just help me get out. Maybe I'll feel better after a while."

"I think this cell is locked," Tael answered, still staring at Link's head. It turned around to look around, and when he looked back at Tael he had wide, confused eyes. "But you can try it. I can't do anything to help you get out of there, though. I'm too small."

Link nodded and then struggled to pull himself out. Tael watched with wonder at how weak he seemed. The boy was barely able to pull himself out, and when he got out, he rolled onto his back, gasping for breath, and closed his eyes.

"Link, come on! Dark is here! We need to get out!"

"I could've told you that. I can barely see a thing."

"No! Dark Link! That weird shadowy guy who looks just like you!" Tael shouted before he realized that the very person he was talking about could be close enough to hear that.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Just let me rest! I won't be going anywhere until I start feeling better, anyway..." Link rolled on his side, turning his back to Tael, who hovered there, staring at him worriedly. What was wrong with this kid? Dark Link could come back any moment. He had to figure out a way to get Link to get out of there!

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	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Link rubbed his eyes. He was beginning to feel worried, but he was too confused to figure out what about. Tael and he were in a prison cell, and some dark shadowy guy was "here"? How were they supposed to get out of a cell, anyway?

"Link, pull yourself together! He could have heard us yelling! We need to get out of here before we get ourselves killed!"

Killed? The way Tael had said that sounded serious, but no matter how hard Link racked his disoriented brain, it didn't make any sense. He blinked his eyes a few times, pressing his lids together tightly to try and clear his thoughts. Suddenly a chill came over him. He spun his head around to see a pair of glowing red eyes in the barred window of the cell door.

All at once, all the painful memories of the day before exploded into Link's brain, and his eyes shot open. Instantly full of adrenaline, he dove into the air duct and started crawling as quickly as he could in the tight space. He could only hope Tael was following.

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Amathar Mountains, year 132

Gerald slowly sidestepped against the wall toward the archway of stone that led into Pyrobia. On his way up, the shouts and crashes had ceased, leaving nothing but his own forced breathing and the crunch of pebbles under his dusty sandals. He was desperately trying to reassure himself that everything would be fine, but he was unsuccessful. Had the Ikanians gotten here first?

He reached the archway, from which a dim, flickering light shone. He was now aware of quiet, echoing grunts and the sound of metal softly clanking against stone. It sounded as if it were quite a ways down the tunnel, so he decided to take a peek around the wall. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he slowly moved his head around the corner.

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Sweat poured down Link's face, despite the freezing feeling sweeping upward from his feet. His good arm was throbbing with bruises from crawling at high speed. As soon as he was under the next grating, he thrust his hand upward to knock it out of place, and then climbed out. He cried out in agony as he remembered his surroundings. It was the cell he had first gotten himself trapped in, and now it would be his final resting place, if he didn't defeat Dark.

He spun around and reached for his sword, and then to his surprise felt air where the hilt was supposed to be. Turning his head, he found the same thing. His sword must've slipped out somewhere.

"This isn't fair!" he yelled out at nobody in particular, his face burning. Just then, the familiar ball of shadow burst from the hole in the floor, landing in a corner. As Link's head turned to follow Dark, he noticed something standing against the far wall. It was the white staff.

Link lunged for the staff before Dark had time to scan his surroundings. The shadow turned around, his eyes grew wide, and before he could dodge the white blur streaking towards his head, he was out cold on the floor. Or so Link thought.

"Link! Are you okay over there?" Tael's voice came through the grating.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What happened to you?" Link called into the vent. Tael came flying out.

"I hid under some bones. He just went after you. So, where is he?"

"Right over th-" Link stopped in the middle of the word, his finger hanging in midair. He was pointing to nothing. His gaze shot across the floor, but the shadow was nowhere to be found. "He must've warped into the dark world and escaped...darn it! Look what you did now, Tael!"

"It's not my fault! Why weren't you watching him?"

"I thought I knocked him out! Nobody gets up and leaves within a few seconds of being unconscious! Besides, you distracted me by calling through the vent!" Link yelled.

"How was I supposed to know? I was worried that you were dead!" Tael argued.

"So you yelled through the vent? If Dark had killed me, what would've stopped him from killing you too? You would've given away your location," Link replied.

"Look, I'm tired of arguing. Dark is probably just sitting around the corner laughing at us."

"Ok, then let's just both shut up and get out of here," Link suggested.

"We can't leave! The map, Link! The map!" Tael yelled.

"Look, Tael. Something about this whole thing just feels wrong. I'm not sure if I fully trust Garod any more."

"Are you saying he lied to us? Maybe the books were wrong! Or maybe the map is here and we just aren't looking hard enough!"

"Tael, either way, I'm out of water. That's a liquid that people need in order to survive. And in case you weren't paying attention, there ISN'T ANY here."

"Yeah? Well, why don't you just shut up and...and..." Tael spun around and crossed his arms, fuming.

"Ok Tael, let's make a deal. I won't talk, and you won't talk, and we'll go get some water. We can come back later and be more prepared." Link waited for an answer. It was a fair deal, he thought. Tael shook his head and turned around, obviously annoyed.

"Fine. Let's go. We can let Tatl decompose while waiting for us."

"Tael..."

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Tael hovered there, waiting.

"I need my sword."

"It's back in the tunnel. Dark left the other cell door open, so you can get out that way. I'll wait for you." Tael flew out through the cell window into the hallway, and Link shook his head, sighed, and lowered himself into the air duct.

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"I'm pretty sure I tried climbing the wall around here. That would mean the woods are in...that direction," Link said, pointing out into the desert with his left hand and shielding his eyes from the sun with the right.

"I thought we first found the ruins over on the other side," Tael said quietly.

"Look...there are a bunch of dirt clods broken off from when I climbed...you can see where they came from. It looks like it was just done recently. I think it's this way."

Tael shrugged and started floating off in that direction. Link followed.

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Link might have been sweating, but if he was, it was evaporating into the air as soon as it left his pores. The sun was blinding. Of all the luck, they had to be going toward it. Suddenly he stopped. They weren't going in the right direction. If they had been in the ruins all day, then the sun was getting ready to set, and they were going west.

"Tael, stop. We need to turn right," he croaked, finishing his sentence with a few raspy coughs.

"Why?"

"We're going west, into the sun. We're supposed to be going north."

"But the sun's going up."

Link looked up. He couldn't tell if the sun had moved, but Tael's suggestion sounded possible. Had they really been in there so long? Was it morning again? If that was the case, they would have to turn left.

"Well, we need to wait a little to see which direction it - " Suddenly Link stopped, his gaze frozen on the horizon. He thought he saw bumps in the distance, a slight protrusion from the endless flat landscape. Squinting, he tried to find them again. There they were. Probably mountains.

"Tael, do you see that? Mountains mean water. And they're probably closer than the woods."

"Since when did all mountains have water? We're in the middle of the desert!"

"There should be caves. With water inside. Come on, Tael, work with me. I'm thirsty here."

"They look really far away. Are you sure it wouldn't be quicker to head toward the woods?"

"We're not even sure where we are. If we get some water, we can take a rest and figure out how to get back," Link said, his feet continuing to plod toward the mountains by themselves. Tael had no choice but to follow.

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"Link, get away from there!"

"I'm just looking! I think it's an old mine shaft." Link winced at the pain from his cracked lips as he peered into the opening at the base of the mountain range. Dust-covered wooden beams supported the entrance, and some kind of elevator contraption was hanging inside, over a deep pit. It was a wooden platform suspended by four fraying ropes attached to the corners; they went up to a jumble of pulleys and gears. The end of a rope hung down from there, coiled in the middle of the elevator.

"Well, it doesn't look safe. I doubt there's water down there, and that elevator will collapse if you put any weight on it!"

"Wanna bet?" Link jumped onto the elevator, and Tael winced as it swung back and forth for a few seconds until Link steadied it. "See? It's perfectly safe."

"Link, you scared me half to death. Get off that thing!"

Suddenly, the elevator jerked downwards a few yards and stopped. Link toppled over, one leg breaking through the rotten wood.

"Link! Are you okay!" Tael shot down into the shaft next to Link.

"I'm fine...a few scratches, but nothing big," he said, pulling his leg out of the hole.

The ground was too high for him to reach, so he grabbed the rope and pulled on it, hoping it would lift the elevator. Instead it snapped, and the frayed end flopped onto the wood in front of him. The platform didn't fall, to his surprise. But just when he caught his breath, he heard something from below.

"I hear drums," Tael said quietly. At that moment, there was a loud grinding, some kind of mechanism was locking...or unlocking...or something. The platform started lowering into the darkness, with a squeaky, clicking noise. Link's head spun around to look at Tael with big eyes.

And the steady pounding below continued to grow louder. As the light above faded, Link heard a new sound. He leaned over the edge, tilting his ear downward. Turning back toward Tael, his face was barely illuminated by the dim purple glow, but Tael could see the fear in it.

There was silence for a few seconds, aside from the drums and clicking. Then a roar echoed through the shaft. A burst of chanting, cheering and screaming followed. Tael looked back at Link with the same expression. They looked up at the faint point of light far above.

Link was about to grab one of the ropes and attempt to climb up, even as difficult as that would be with one arm. But he was stopped. In the dim light, he saw the rope he was about to grab. Most of the strands had split at one point, and only one was left. Just then, right in front of him, seemingly in slow motion, that strand snapped apart.

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	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Link's back crunched into the loose rubble at the bottom of the shaft, a mere five feet down. He winced, waiting for something to happen, but the sounds continued as normal. Tael hovered down worriedly, but Link reassured him with his eyes, holding a finger up to his lips.

Another roar echoed through the cave, and Link shifted his position to see where exactly they were. The small rocks and boards underneath him started tumbling, and he noticed to his surprise he was sitting at the top of a hill of debris in a very large cavern. Before he could do anything, his body was skidding down the huge mound, and it was all he could do to keep from tumbling head over heels.

All of a sudden, he whacked against something and stopped, piling up small chunks of rock behind him. He coughed in the cloud of dust, then blinked and looked up into the warped face of a Moblin. The 8-foot tall creature, part dog, part pig and part demon, was holding a large metal rod with a Glode rock attached to the end somehow.

Link would've lurched backwards if he had been in a better position. But, being trapped between the Moblin's legs and a pile of rubble, and being so shocked that his lips wouldn't move, he could only helplessly look up at the creature. His chest had strange characters written on it with white paint, and he was wearing leather pants covered with rusty chain mail.

The Moblin looked Link over with his large red eyes, nodding his small tusks approvingly. He kicked Link in the side to flip him over, and Link clenched his teeth in pain. It was impossible to try to fight or escape; the Moblin had a strong advantage, both with his height, strength, two good arms, and the fact that he now had his foot on Link's back.

After a long minute of waiting, the foot moved off, and strong arms tied Link's hands together with a sturdy piece of rope. What could the Moblin possibly be planning to do with him? Suddenly he was lifted and flung over the Moblin's shoulder. Where on earth was Tael? He lifted his head and tried to find the familiar purple glow, but the fairy was still hiding.

Walls and a ceiling appeared on either side of them, and he watched the pile disappear around a corner. Finally he gave up and watched the rocky, dusty floor pass by as he was carried like a potato sack into the depths of the mountain, listening to the sounds of chanting and wailing get closer, the heavy thump of the drum beating faster.

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Tael peeked out from behind a large rock. The flickering, orange glow from the Moblin's torch was illuminating the entrance to a small tunnel at the edge of the cavern. It was slowly fading. He knew he should have done something, but he couldn't bring himself to move from his safe little hiding spot.

_Link is in trouble! Tael, get your butt off this rock and go help him,_ he was thinking. But his body was shaking too much; he had no control over it. He noticed the soft purple light on the rocks suddenly flicker a little, and it dimmed. Even though he was a fairy, he needed water just like Link. He was dehydrated, and so his light was fading; his wings were failing him.

Staying put would eventually lead to sitting in complete darkness, and he wouldn't be able to find his way out. He strained his wings, trying to force them to move. But it was no use. He watched as the glow from the Moblin faded still more. His only choice was to use his legs.

But fairies never WALKED! He hardly used his legs at all, and he would look ridiculous stumbling along like that. He refused to submit to such torture and humiliation! He bit his lip, in a fierce battle with his own mind, one side urging him to help Link, no matter if he looked stupid doing it or not, the other side arguing that he wouldn't even be able to run with such wimpy legs.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" He suddenly said out loud, taking a step off the rock and instantly tumbling down the hill, bruising himself multiple times on the rubble. Finally landing at the bottom, he was in pain, but he was awake. Forcing his thoughts away, he sat up, carefully stood, and then took a step.

He lost balance and fell sideways, his eyes filling with tears as he watched the orange light fade into blackness. He was going to rescue Link if he had to crawl there!

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The Moblin suddenly came to a halt and dropped Link on the ground. Link came back to reality and examined his surroundings. Humans! There were about fifteen humans sitting in the small dirt room, mostly men, but a few women and children as well. They didn't look quite as happy to see Link as he was to see them.

There was an iron clang behind him, and he spun his head around to look. Bars. A large gate of iron barred the entrance to the room. The Moblin stood on the other side. Link instantly took on the expression of the other people in the room.

He was in a prison cell. Again. This one was made of hard-packed dirt, and there was a Moblin guarding it. But to look on the bright side, there were people with him. He turned around to face them.

"So...where, exactly, is this?"

A skinny, short man with dirty, stringy hair (that pretty much summed up most of the group's appearance) said something in a gruff, angry dog kind of voice, in a strange language Link didn't understand. The rest of the group stared vacantly. One child whispered something to what Link assumed to be his mother.

Link looked around uncomfortably. Finally, he had found someone to talk to other than Tael, and they didn't speak Hyrulian. He started wondering what Tael was doing right now.

"This is Amathar, city of Moblins," came a harsh, raspy voice from behind him. Link turned to find a new Moblin - this one smaller than the rest - standing at the gate. "You've stumbled upon the Great One's day of entertainment."

Link was surprised to find a Moblin speaking his language. Did all the Moblins here know it?

"What are we here for?" Link demanded, standing up. The Moblin laughed.

"You...ARE the entertainment. I've come to choose the next few participants."

"Participants for WHAT?" Link said through the iron bars. There was a fierce roar, and a burst of cheers and applause. Through it, he could hear screaming. The Moblin at the gate continued smiling at him.

"You're in good shape, compared to the rest of the group. You'll be more satisfying to watch being ripped apart with the tusks of a boar...you, you, and you. You're up next." The Moblin said, pointing to Link and a young couple sitting in the corner. Link stared at the Moblin in shock as the man and woman came up behind him and the Moblin unlocked the gate.

"I'll be takin' this, now. No weapons allowed; we don't want the event to go wrong!" The Moblin took Link's sword while holding a spear pointed at his side. He had no choice but to submit. The group exited the cell, and after the Moblin was done locking it, they proceeded down the hallway.

Link looked back at the hopeless group of humans behind. If only he could have done something, they could've had a chance...

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	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The roar of the crowd and of the wild boars grew deafening as the group rounded a corner and came to an iron gate blocking the tunnel. Two guards stood on either side. They unlocked the gate and Link felt a rod prodding him from behind. He moved forward with the other two humans and he heard the gate click shut behind them with a groan.

The tunnel opened out into a huge cavern, lit with a huge chandelier of glode rocks hanging directly above the center. Hundreds of Moblins sat on a higher level of the room, encircling the flat, bare area Link was entering. He could see another gate on the other side of the arena. On the right, there was a large section of seating for a very fat, robed Moblin, who Link assumed to be the "Great One", and his guards.

As soon as he stepped out into the open, there was a jump in volume from the crowd's roar. Finally, some more entertainment had arrived. They would get to see three humans be devoured at once this time! The gate across the way clanged open and two blood-smeared boars charged into the arena.

Link crouched and waited. Would the crowd be entertained in the way they hoped? Not if Link had a say in it.

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Haunted Mountains, year 575 (present)

High in the Haunted Mountains, about four miles closer to the sky than the Moblin city of Amathar, two dull, dehydrated fairies lay in a small cage surrounded by a swirling purplish black barrier. One was blue, one was yellow. Or, they usually were. Without their lights, Navi and Tatl looked exactly the same unless you looked closely.

Tatl was just beginning to wonder if they would get their meager meal today at all, when all of a sudden the barrier dissipated and the dismal sight of the smoky, death-filled catacombs blurred into her vision. Standing in front of the cage was none other than the shadow calling himself Dark Link. Navi weakly raised her head.

"Hey! Listen to me! You can't treat us like this! Why are you holding us down here?" Navi spat out, meaning it to be more powerful than it sounded. Dark Link just chuckled.

"I brought you some food. Eat it," he said roughly, sliding a couple of dried breadcrumbs into the cage. The two fairies scrambled to grab the crumbs. As much as they would have liked to throw them back into Dark's face, they weren't stupid. They were going to take as much food as they could get their tiny little hands on. Tatl finished first, and picked up where Navi had left off.

"Why are you keeping us here? You can't possibly have any use for two dead fairies!"

"Don't you get it?" Dark Link said in a voice almost like a whisper, but louder. "You are the bait. You're the only reason Link is sticking around. You must stay here until he is terminated."

The shadow stepped back into the shadows, and the dark purple swirls once again covered the cage like a blanket. Navi's eyes slowly lowered until they were shut.

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Tael dragged himself along down the tunnel, hoping it was the way Link had come. His head was beginning to hurt, and an annoying static was developing in his ears. He couldn't describe it any other way. It was a constant noise, all fuzzy and trickly. The sound kept growing steadily louder, and he was beginning to wonder if it would continue increasing in volume long enough to be blaring in his head until his tiny eardrums burst. Finally, he decided to ignore it, because, after all, it wasn't very loud at the moment.

Why did he have to hide behind that stupid pile of rocks? Couldn't he just have been captured too? This way, he wasn't sure if he'd even make it out of this cave alive. He was sure Link was off killing Moblins and finding tunnels leading outside. He couldn't possibly just submit to those jerks like that! It wouldn't be like Link to just give up like that.

Maybe it was the heat exhaustion. It was getting to Tael as well. In addition to being so weak he couldn't fly or emit light, he could hardly think straight. If only this had happened in a rain forest, he wouldn't be in this embarrassing situation right now. Why couldn't he find some water?

Suddenly his hand came down in something cold and wet. _Ick, _he thought, jerking backwards. Wait a second...he sat there for a few seconds, listening. The static in his ears suddenly transformed into the sound of a small trickle of water. His eyes bulged, and he dove forward immediately, submerging himself in the small pool of water, about two inches deep.

The water felt like ice compared to the hot, sweaty caverns around him. He greedily drank it, and slowly but surely, his soft purple glow flooded the passageway. Unfortunately, there was a split in the path just ahead. But, fortunately, Tael caught a glimpse of a shred of green fabric lying just inside the left fork. When he was ready, he climbed out of the pool and continued on with renewed strength.

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A boar covered in blood and sweat dashed at Link, and he quickly dove to the side, rolling to his feet. The boar turned at the last moment and whammed its side against the wall, crushing the man in between. Through the cheers of the crowd, Link could hear the woman crying out the man's name in terror.

His head jerked to the side, bangs sending droplets of sweat through the air, as he noticed the second boar approaching. It was heading for the woman, who had her back turned, trying to avoid the first boar.

"HEY!" Link yelled at her, hoping she could hear through the tumult and recognize the fact that he was trying to warn her before it was too late. Fortunately, she spun around in time to see the mass of mangled black fur and red eyes hurtling toward her. Unfortunately, she fainted immediately.

The boars skidded to a stop on either side of her, and started growling, circling around her body. Obviously, they were trying to decide whom the body belonged to. Maybe if he just let them be, they would kill each other or something...but then again, they could just kill the woman without warning.

He decided he had to divert the boars' attention somehow. He had to get rid of those things so that he could check on the guy to see how badly he was injured and try to get that lady up...if that was even possible with no weapons. Suddenly, through the racket of the crowd's chanting and huge bongos thumping, Link heard a different sound.

The quiet, but clear sound of a bell rang through the uproar and found its way into Link's dirt-stained ears. He froze. Nobody else seemed to have heard it, including the boars. Link spun around and saw the purple ball of light flying through spaces in the gate at top speed.

"Tael! I don't know where you've been, but I don't want to hear about it right now. I need your help! Any ideas on how to get those things away from the lady so I can move her without getting mauled?"

Tael was out of breath, and he looked around the room. Link looked anxiously back and forth between Tael and the boars.

"Hurry up, Tael!"

"I'm hurrying! How do expect me to find someth - " Tael's eyes froze on the ceiling. Link's slowly followed them and stopped on the giant frame of steel holding up the glode rocks. It was attached to the ceiling only by a few ropes. Link smiled at Tael.

"Go for it. I'll try to lure the boars over there."

Tael shot up to the ceiling, and Link looked back at the boars. They were attacking each other right next to the woman's head. Link winced at how crazy his ideas were, and then got up the courage to get closer. The boars didn't seem to notice. Tael was already working on the first rope of the chandelier.

Link bit his lip and then took a running leap, landed on the tangled mass of fur, and bounced off again. He almost fell over as he landed, but he caught himself and kept running. He glanced behind him just to make sure the boars were following. Boy, were they ever. It was a good thing his leap had given him a little bit of a head start, because they were a little faster than he was.

He was nearing the center of the room. One glance up at the ceiling told him all he needed to know. Tael had completely gnawed through one rope, and the chandelier was swinging. He was already almost through the next one. Link looked behind him and almost tripped from shock. One boar was right at his heels.

He glanced up again. Just in time. The last rope had been too weak to hold the weight of the chandelier by itself, and it was coming down right above Link. In a last effort, he flung himself forward on his stomach. Two metal bars came smashing to the ground on either side of him, and suddenly, with a tremendous, grinding, crashing noise, all light was gone.

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	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Link scrambled to his feet, taking care not to hit his head on the bar of the chandelier. Tael's soft glow illuminated a small circle of the ceiling far above, and everything else was pitch black. The commotion of the crowd had intensified, and Link worried that he would be caught and killed. Suddenly, Tael flew down in front of Link, lighting his way as best he could.

The boars were both impaled on the decorative spikes of iron, Link could see. He also spotted a broken piece of the chandelier, and quickly wrenched it off. It would make a good makeshift weapon.

"Quick, Tael...to the gate!" Link yelled, trying to get his message through one foot of air swarming with noise. Tael seemed to get the message, and started flying off to the side. Link ran after him. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of the woman a few yards to his left, and skidded to a halt.

He couldn't just leave her there! And what about the other guy? Then, Link realized the flaw in his plan. There was no way he could get them both out by himself. He had only one good arm, and Tael couldn't lift either of them. It was either leave them, or get killed. But it just seemed so wrong to leave them there!

There was a clank ahead, and a frantic ding. The gates were opening and the guards were rushing in to check the situation. Tael was flying around in front of them, trying to get Link's attention. Link quickly ducked into the shadows and waited.

An iron bar came smacking down on the larger Moblin's head, and he slumped to the ground. The other one jumped and frantically scanned the darkness, trying to locate the source of the attack. It was the one who had taken Link's sword. Link waited until the Moblin's back was turned, then charged at him. It heard the sound of his thumping footsteps and spun around, a spear extended.

Link's eyes grew, and he skidded in the dust, flailing his arms as he flopped on his back underneath the spear shaft. His feet lay in between the Moblin's. Before the creature could react, Link kicked his legs to the side, causing the Moblin to fall over. He then scrambled upright and plunged the pointed end of his chandelier weapon into the Moblin's abdomen, wrenching it in different directions until he was satisfied.

"Link! Just get out of there!" Tael yelled through the darkness.

"I'm getting my stuff," Link yelled back, quickly bending to retrieve his blade from the fallen Moblin. If he stuck around any longer, he would be killed. There was no way he could save the two humans. Suddenly his eyes fell on a ring of keys attached to the Moblin's belt. Maybe he couldn't save those two...but if he was able to get away, he could do something about the others...

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Amathar Plains, year 131

Brownish chunks of overweight rock-like creatures crowded together in the blistering heat at the entrance of their glode mines, celebrating the new year as the Gorons always did, back before the country of Myrennia had even been organized. The old miners would be released, and they would select new ones. Every year they held a ceremony in which the previous workers were raised from the shaft, proudly walking down the aisle, and the new ones took their place, stepping onto the elevator.

When all the new workers were in place, it was lowered back down, and the miners were not seen again until the next year. This method had been questioned by the Goron elders multiple times, but they had decided it was more productive to have workers down there 24/7. Fresh glode rocks were hauled up every day, to be sold to the humans or used for lighting their magnificent city.

Pyrobia...just hearing the name put those who had seen the city into a trance. Though underground, it was just as bright as outdoors, especially the great hall. Brilliant shafts of light cut through skillfully excavated windows and skylights. Hundreds of glode rocks lined the walls, covered the yard-thick marble pillars, stood on posts along the main street.

Bright orange lava surrounded the great hall, almost like a lake with a big island in the middle. Arched bridges spanned the distance from the island to smaller roads. Of course, this created a very warm environment, which, although uncomfortable for humans, was perfect for Gorons and the tall, twisted Pegasus trees they grew.

At the end of main street, the entire wall was built of red, irregularly shaped stones. Twelve thin, pointed windows and huge brass doors decorated the face of the wall...it was their king's palace. King Dakami was attending the new year's ceremony at the moment, shaded by a purple velvet awning fringed in gold and held up with four wooden posts.

Right then, the population was getting restless. They had been waiting three hours for the old miners to arrive. Finally, someone had volunteered to lower himself down to see if anything was wrong. That had been an hour ago. Dakami's eyebrows crinkled as he bit the inside of his lip. He would have to settle down the Gorons somehow.

Finally, he got up and strode to the front of the crowd, right next to the mine shaft. As if by magic, the ropes started squeaking through the pulleys, and the city obeyed his hand motion to be quiet. There was complete silence, but for the slow clicking, squeaky sound made by the elevator. Dakami backed away from the pit, ready to congratulate the workers on being released.

The elevator platform rose into view, and the silence was broken by an explosion of screams, gasps and weeping. Resting on the lopsided, battered elevator platform was the mangled body of a Goron, almost beyond recognition.

After that day, the Gorons avoided the mines like the plague. They were forced to mine for glode rocks elsewhere. Unfortunately, they never found a suitable location during the short year before destruction rained down on their subterranean metropolis.

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There stood only one guard at the humans' cell. Link quickly took him out by hurling his sword at the Moblin from the shadows.

"I'll bet you're having fun," Tael commented, noticing Link give a quick smirk before attempting to hide it by biting the inside of his cheek.

"Am not," Link's frowned as he replied, swiftly crossing the hall and pulling his sword from the Moblin's head. He wiped both sides on the creature's vest and slid it back into its sheath. The humans' eyes were wide, and they looked even worse than before. Their eye sockets were like black holes, their skin like gray parchment.

"Admit it. I saw you killing the guard back in the arena. You enjoyed it," Tael continued to taunt.

"Look," Link said, taking on a lower, rougher voice, "you would enjoy it too if he captured fairies and fed them to wild animals in front of his city for 'entertainment.'" He shoved a random key into the lock and twisted it. The vibration of the mechanism unlocking created a grinding noise, and then with a click, it swung outward. The group of bony, dirt-covered people sat there, staring at him like he was crazy.

"Come on! You're free!" Link yelled, flinging his hands into the air.

"Link..." Tael sighed.

"What! I'm just - " Link threw down the keys and stormed off down the tunnel into the darkness. Tael froze in place dejectedly for a few seconds, then shot after him, leaving the humans to stare after them in confusion.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Goron mines, year 132

Gruth thumped down the twisting, dark, dusty tunnel, following the shiny mine cart tracks on his left, holding a glode torch high. The small Moblin had been sent to explore the mines and find out if they went anywhere. Ever since his tribe had arrived and killed the Goron miners, some of them were searching the caves to see if they made a suitable new home.

They hadn't thoroughly searched all the tunnels yet, but Gruth didn't see the point in continuing. There was nothing down here but rocks, tracks and mine carts. He entertained himself by humming old Moblin songs and kicking rocks down through the black pits here and there.

"Get your head out of the clouds and back underground!" Gruth's supervisor always said in a rough voice. Just yesterday he had added: "You're supposed to be attentive down there, and I'm responsible for anything you find or don't find. If you find something interesting, it'll make me look good. If you don't find anything, I'll appear incapable. Now, get down there, and don't come back up until you've got something!"

Gruth's eyes watered in anger and frustration as he pictured the Moblin's greedy, bloodshot eyes boring holes in his head and felt the droplets of saliva hit him as the beast spat out the words. He angrily slammed his foot into a head-sized chunk of debris and sent it careening toward the wall. It shattered after colliding, and suddenly the sound of hollow stone grinding against metal rang through the tunnel.

What was this? Gruth peered through the darkness at the wall, rubbing the moisture from his eyes. There was a crack in the wall. Not a rough, broken crack, but a smooth, straight crack. It went up about six feet and then formed a ninety degree angle, went sideways two feet, and then angled again and went into the ground. A doorway?

Gruth cautiously approached it, and then put slight pressure on it with his hand. The rectangular slab of metallic stone swung to the side, scraping against the dusty floor. On the other side of the small doorway was a small, circular room, about ten feet in diameter. Metal stairs with no railing lined the wall, spiraling out of view up the shaft. He looked around a few moments, then lifted his foot to the first step.

) () (

Just what was it that Tael did to put Link in such a bad mood? Link couldn't put a finger on it. It was almost as if the fairy's presence were a wet rag slapping him in the face until he escaped.

_Don't think about wet rags, _Link ordered himself. His throat was just about ready to shatter with the next breath. He wasn't keeping track of time, but his last drink of water had been in the south castle ruins. Tael, on the other hand, seemed to be doing fine. _I'm going to kill him if he says one word._

"Link? Turn right here." That was it. That was why Tael was so annoying. Always telling him what to do. Why didn't he realize Link was capable of handling things himself?

"I don't need your help," he grumbled, thrusting one foot in front of the other mechanically as he angled to the left. Tael didn't seem to be following him.

"There's water," Tael said quietly. Link stopped, and his thirsty side won over his prideful side. Maybe this was the reason he hated Tael. He was always correcting Link, AND he was always right, too. Link gritted his teeth in embarrassment and spun around, trudging back through the cave and turning down the other path, keeping his eyes from meeting Tael's.

It didn't take long before he spotted movement at the base of the left wall. Tael's light bounced off the ripples on the small puddle and flashed into Link's eyes. The instant he saw it, Link dove at the little spring. Cupping his hands and slurping up the water greedily, he didn't notice the slight taste of mildew and dirt he was stirring up. In a normal situation he would have refused to drink it.

"Link...get up. Someone's coming," Tael whispered, just loud enough so only Link could hear it. Link froze long enough to hear the crunching of rocks and hoarse whispers, then silently stood and started making his way in the opposite direction. With every sound he made, he bit his lip, wincing, but the Moblins never seemed to hear. Around the next corner, the mountain of rubble from earlier bathed in the soft bluish light from the shaft. It was odd how bright it seemed, when before it had been incredibly dark.

_I wonder how long we've been underground,_ he thought to himself, before suddenly realizing he was standing in the middle of the doorway. He quickly scooted to the side and looked for another passageway. A doorway hid behind a small pile of rocks, so he stumbled through it before the Moblins poured into the cavern. Somehow he had to find a way out of there...

) () (

Pyrobia, year 132

King Dakami drummed his fingers on the armrest of his throne, watching the 20-something Moblin struggling to hold back his emotions. The creature had been caught emerging from the secret entrance to the mines in the back hallway of the palace, and was now being questioned.

"So...you say you had nothing to do with the death of one of our miners? What were you doing down in the mines?" Dakami asked.

"I'm not lying! I didn't mean to hurt anyone! If it had been my choice, none of that would have happened!" The Moblin winced as two Goron guards pressed their spears to his side.

"You haven't answered my question."

"My tribe was forced out of their homes in the forest. We found the caves and figured they would make a good city. If it hadn't been for the miners." The Moblin's voice broke, and he struggled to continue. "I was born into the army with no choice. I was ordered to kill, and to ignore an order meant a torturous death. It was not my choice! Please, let me go and I promise we'll leave you alone!"

King Dakami thought a moment, scratching at the stubble on his chin. His eyes moved toward the guards holding the small Moblin.

"Kill him."

) () (

"Link, do you think there are any other ways out?" Tael asked quietly.

"I don't KNOW," Link snapped back, still looking over his dusty, torn boots. They had decided to take a break after a while and he was sitting on the edge of an empty mine cart. The tracks followed the tunnel over the edge of a hill a few yards away.

"You don't have to be so testy," Tael replied, sitting and swinging his legs on the corner opposite Link. "I don't see why you're always like that."

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but we don't really get along. You need to step back and let other people think for themselves for once."

"Yeah? Well, you need to stop running headlong into trouble without even thinking. Without my suggestions, you wouldn't be -"

"Here right now? What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I would be somewhere worse by myself? Who was it that got the so-called 'help' of a crazy old guy who doesn't know what he's talking about? Who even got me into this whole thing anyway?" Link almost yelled at Tael. Tael sat silent for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, Tael. I didn't mean to explode like that. You've helped me get out of a lot of places. Will you help me find a way out of here?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go," Tael mumbled.

A flash of shadow flickered across Link's vision, and he barely had time to raise his shield before something came smashing down on it and the clank of iron rattled his bones. He had fallen backwards into the mine cart, and suddenly he felt it accelerating slowly down the tracks. His head jerked upright and he saw Dark Link hopping into a cart set on some tracks running parallel to his.

He noticed an increase in the acceleration and twisted around, hot air blowing in his face as he hurtled down the tracks into utter darkness and pure terror.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Adrenaline pumped through Link's body as the cart dangerously wove its way through the dark mines. He could hit a stray rock across the tracks any second and end up lying on the ground with no bones left unbroken. If the crash didn't kill him, Dark certainly would.

Link frantically searched the darkness behind him. There were slight blurs once in a while, but he couldn't tell if they were just rocks or something else. Tael was cringing in the back corner of the cart. Link quickly grabbed him and held the fairy up above his head, out of his line of vision, so that the light would shine farther without blinding him.

All at once, the cart swung around a tight corner and the tunnel opened into a vast cavern glowing bright orange. Link's head jerked away from the dark hole in the wall and looked around. The tracks were suspended with cables above a sea of magma, and many of the wooden ties holding the rails together either were rotten or had fallen.

Black, bubbly stalactites, arches and boulders sprouted from the hissing molten rock below, sometimes used to support the tracks, sometimes arching over them. Fire keese screeched at being disturbed and took off flying from their perches underneath arches and on the ceiling. It was almost unreal, hurtling across the rickety tracks, sometimes tipping slightly from the lack of support on one side, watching the bat-like creatures flap their flaming wings blindly after him.

Just then he noticed the second set of tracks next to him. Dark Link was racing alongside him, a simple arm's reach away. The second Link ducked his head, Dark's blade came down on the edge of his cart and hacked off a chip of wood.

Link gave a yell of surprise and then popped his head back up into the burning, stale wind as he quickly unsheathed his sword. He could see that the tracks connected up ahead and entered another tunnel. He'd have to keep his lead. Maybe he could drop things on the track behind him.

_Is there anything in here?_ Link thought, scanning the bottom of the rickety box. A few chunks of light, air-filled black were strewn about the floor, but nothing else. Suddenly he noticed that the wood was slightly rotten and had a few holes eaten in it. Before he had time to think, he felt the cart change direction and looked up to see that the tracks were already merging. Dark was about two yards behind. His right arm was raised, holding a large fragment of light gray stone.

Link frantically reached for a rock and suddenly noticed the bottom of the cart breaking out from under him. The wall of the cavern seemed so close...but not close enough. The front of the cart splintered and fell onto the tracks, and the whole thing flipped into the air. His sword was flung off somewhere. Link flailed his arms, eyes wide, as he plummeted toward the orange blaze.

) () (

Pyrobia, year 132

Gruth's expression changed from absolute misery to pure anger in an instant. That was the problem with Moblins...even the least violent ones could abruptly change moods without warning. It was never a good idea to catch a Moblin on his bad side.

_They don't believe me,_ he growled to himself. "It's not my fault!" He roared, flinging off the two guards. Now the king's face jolted into a shocked and fearful expression and he pushed himself into the soft, beaten boar hide cushions covering his throne.

Gruth hesitated, looking at the Goron cowering in his chair. For a brief moment, his angry side and tender side battled inside his mind. Finally he snapped out of it, grasped the fallen spear from one of the guards, and rushed toward Dakami. As he was raising the shaft, his arms started shaking and his eyes watered. He couldn't do it. The weapon clattered to the ground and he spun around, exploding from the throne room's double doors like a torpedo, throwing aside confused Goron guards who stood in his way.

Had he said too much? The Gorons could send their whole army down into the mines and slaughter the unknowing Moblins. _Then I'll warn the tribe, _he decided. _If the fools come, we'll be waiting._

) () (

Link's right hand snatched a worn-out railroad tie in mid-flight and he dangled above the magma, watching the rotten planks of his cart burst into flames and disappear. Dark's cart whizzed by overhead and vanished into the tunnel, leaving Link to hang there and swing his legs. It would have been hard enough with both hands, but with only one it was near impossible. Tael zipped around his head like a bee, only making it harder to concentrate.

"Tael, get away from me! You're not helping!" Link gasped, struggling to get a better grasp on the board. He could feel it groaning under his weight. If he could swing back and forth hard enough to launch himself toward the wall, he might be able to grab the rough surface and climb up.

_With one hand? Like I could even do it with both hands. It's impossible!_

"Link, maybe you can swing yourself and jump to the ledge at the bottom of the wall," Tael suggested, sitting on a nearby plank after scorching himself on the rail. Link took a deep breath, braced himself, and looked down. Sure enough, when he squinted through the orange glow, he saw a ledge at the bottom of the wall, about one by four feet. This time, he didn't even sigh in disgust. His arm was screaming with joy too loudly to think straight.

_Just a little longer,_ he promised his aching muscles, and then started rocking back and forth. Soon, he had gotten a good swing going. He swallowed, and on the next swing he let go. His feet landed with a crunch on the airy rock, and he thumped against the wall, scraping his cheek against the rough surface.

Before he could complain about the sting, a splitting crack rang through the air. He quickly stepped up onto the gouge in the wall, found a good handhold, and pulled himself up toward the tunnel. Half of the ledge crumbled into the molten rock, hissing. Luckily he had a strong foothold and was able to push himself up to the tunnel entrance.

Dark Link was nowhere to be seen. Either he was hiding or he had assumed Link had fallen. Link quietly ducked into the blackness, hoping the latter was the case, or else he was in big trouble.

) () (

Moblin village, year 113

Gruth bounced up and down, awaiting his turn to meet the village elder. His father stood tall behind him, head almost brushing the low ceiling of the forest cave. He was ten years old this year, which meant the elder would determine his future.

"Soldier," he heard the frail old Moblin say after looking at the hand of another small Moblin.

"Dad, what do you think he'll tell me?" Gruth rattled, his heart pounding. _Maybe an architect! Please say architect,_ he thought, trying to force his way into the elder's mind.

"I don't know, Gruth. Just be patient and we'll see," his father said quietly, patting Gruth's head.

"Farmer," came the raspy voice of the elder again, talking to the boy standing in front of Gruth. _A farmer wouldn't be too bad..._ he thought. _Anything but soldier._ Finally, it was his turn. He could barely contain his excitement.

"Hands," the elder said dully.

"Huh?"

"I need your hands, please." The elder's hands were outstretched. Gruth quickly placed his hands, palms up, in the elder's. The old Moblin carefully examined them for a few moments. "Hmph."

"Is something wrong?" Gruth's dad questioned.

"Well...his future seems unsure. I need a few minutes."

_Is that a good thing?_ Gruth wondered, starting to sweat. After what seemed like hours, the elder looked up, smiled, and opened his mouth.

"Soldier."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Goron Mines, year 132

Sounds of iron and stone clashing, yelling, and grunting echoed through the black passageways. It was just as Gruth had thought. Even before the Moblins were fully prepared, Gorons had flooded into the mines and attacked with bomb flowers and hefty spears decorated with Helmaroc feathers painted purple and gold and topped with boar tusks.

Gruth's eyes were watering as he spun, ducked, and hacked through the Goron ranks with an axe as if they were butter. What kind of creature was he? Half of him desperately wanted to stop, yet the other half was full of uncontrollable anger. With his tribe, he was regarded as a mere killing machine. All his dreams had been dashed away when he had been told by the tribe elder that he was to be a soldier.

Fighting was a way of releasing his anger about fighting. Since he was forced to fight, he found that it was a good way to erupt like a volcano after holding everything in for a long time. The only problem was, with this fuel, he was seen as a powerful, merciless killer. Was he? He didn't know what to think. The rest of the tribe had warped his beliefs, and it was hard to tell how he felt about some things now.

It was strange. While fighting, he felt as if he were born to kill. He delighted in the feel of flesh giving way to his rough, strong axe and swung it like a madman. Almost as soon as the feeling was over, he felt terrible and cursed the day the elder had appointed him as a soldier. It was as it he lived two different lives, had two different personalities.

He wondered if anyone else ever felt that way. It didn't seem like the other soldiers did. Why was he so different from the other Moblins?

) () (

"Which way did we turn last time?" Link asked wearily as he trudged through the ankle-high ashes strewn across the floor of the tunnel.

"Left, I think," Tael replied, looking backwards briefly. The two turned to the right at the next fork. Their plan was to switch between left and right passageways with each fork. With luck, they'd come out somewhere. They'd both decided to stray from the mine cart tracks to put as much distance as possible between them and Dark.

Finally Link couldn't take it any more. The ashes covering the floor made it difficult to walk, and he was already weakened by thirst. He flopped forward onto the ground, sending up a spray of ashes, then sat upright, coughing. Why hadn't he taken some water in his bottle at the spring?

"Link, are you okay?" Tael asked, concern showing in his voice as he sat atop Link's filthy, mangled nest of hair.

"No, I'm not okay," Link croaked, then coughed some more. Tael glanced around worriedly.

"Well, we need to get moving. The sooner we get out, the sooner we can get rehydrated." Tael's light was already beginning to fade again. "Can you get up?"

"I think so," Link rasped, choking on the burning sensation in his throat. He placed a hand on the wall for support and struggled to push himself up. Suddenly the wall gave way and he fell back down. "What was that all about?" Link asked, turning his head. A rectangular section of the wall seemed to have moved back slightly, leaving perfectly straight edges. A doorway?

) () (

Goron Mines, year 132

Fragments of dead Moblins and Gorons littered the floor of the cavern like a new layer of reddish dirt. It had been difficult to get used to the Gorons' explosive weapons, but the Moblins had triumphed. Gruth leaned against a blackened wall, his axe resting with him after their long strain, watching the remaining Moblins walk carefully through the battlefield and search for the wounded. At any moment they could step on a stray bomb flower and set it off, so they had to keep a sharp eye out.

_At long last, the Gorons have been completely destroyed,_ he thought with a smile. _I was just beginning to get tired, too_. He shifted his position to avoid the uncomfortable lump of rock jutting out of the wall against his back. It was still there. He turned around to look at it. _Wait. What did I just say? _His eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Great work, as usual, Gruth," his supervisor grunted, giving him a hefty thump on the back. "You were even more destructive than usual."

Gruth's eyes widened. No...had it happened again? It couldn't have! He had tried to control himself...but if he didn't do something, he would just continue killing like this. He had to do something. It was the only way to avoid this... He was sitting down in the same spot, cursing himself, half an hour later when his supervisor came by again.

"Gruth, I need your help with directions to the Gorons' city. We're going to move out in a few minutes to clear it out and make our new home there," the Moblin said while walking by, as if he didn't even expect an answer. Gruth's eyes narrowed. There was no way he would allow them to kill the innocent Gorons living in the city just to claim it as their own.

"No." Gruth was startled at the low rumble that he had allowed to escape his lips. His supervisor stopped and then, without turning around, spoke in a similar tone.

"That's an order, soldier. We all know what happens when you disobey an order."

) () (

"Do you think these stairs ever end?" Tael groaned. He had been sitting atop Link's head ever since they found the secret tower. After climbing for an hour, it had gotten boring.

"I'm the one who should be complaining," Link retorted, grunting as his legs carried him higher and higher up the winding staircase. "I've been climbing these steps so long, I can't even feel my legs. They've just been jerking forward and up over and over by themselves. It doesn't help that there aren't any rails. What kind of person builds so many steps without railings?"

"Someone who's lazy?" Tael suggested. "What kind of person builds so many steps, period?"

Link surprised himself by chuckling. "You've got a point there. It's almost as if this thing just goes up forever." He looked up again and saw just what he didn't expect: the ceiling. "Tael, look!"

Ridges of stone arched from the cylindrical walls and met in a star in the center of the tower a few floors up. Darkness filled the cracks making up the angles between the ridges, causing the giant red feldspar asterisk to stand out. There was a circular depression in the center, where they met, and Link wondered if something had been there. Perhaps a glode rock to light the staircase.

"I wonder what's up there," Tael squeaked, unable to produce anything louder. Being too weak to fly, he remained on Link's head. Link struggled to quicken his pace, although it felt strange to have control over his legs. Twice he stubbed his right toe, which was extended through a hole in his boot, on one of the steps and almost fell off. The second time, he had fallen over, but caught himself.

"When did that happen?" Tael questioned, concerned about how Link's feet were doing.

"I don't know, it wasn't there when I looked them over before the train ride," he gasped, putting his right hand against the wall for support. "We're almost there. I see a little light coming in through a doorway at the top of the stairs."

At long last, the two reached the end of the staircase. Link took a cautious look down the tower and Tael squealed, clutching Link's hair as his head tilted forward. The pit extended downward into blackness, as he expected. He gulped and then stepped through the doorway into another tunnel.

Wait...this tunnel was different. The walls, floor and ceiling were smooth and red. The air smelled much fresher, and he could almost feel a draft. In one direction, the light was stronger, so he carefully walked down the hallway, hearing his tattered boots make comforting, clean slapping sounds against the shiny floor. After rounding a few perfectly straight, ninety-degree corners, he came out on a large room. The walls were chiseled smooth and rose fifty feet to the ceiling, which was dotted with blinding holes.

Link let his eyes adjust to the light a little longer and then gasped. Intricate lettering was etched into the jade walls. Huge, black marble pillars stood in rows along the hallway, covered in dark gray swirls and speckles. The floor was a combination of slabs of deep, dusty purple amethyst and lush jade. Particles of dust lazily floated through the shafts of light penetrating the room.

And at the end of the hall stood a throne. It was made of thick, heavy marble and rested at the top of a few steps. The shock of seeing the whole room caused Link to freeze in place. Tael tapped his head after a few minutes.

"Link, I think it's all right to move now." Link didn't respond, so Tael grabbed a handful of hair and gave it a quick, hard tug.

"Ow! I was about to move," Link complained, scratching the spot where Tael had pulled in an attempt to alleviate the sharp pain.

"So then move!" Tael squeaked. Link obeyed, stepping out into the huge chamber. It made him feel tiny, and the emptiness made him feel as though he were the only person in the world. Other than Tael, of course.

"Where do you think we are? Is this some kind of old castle? Who lived here? Where are they?" The fairy rambled on endlessly.

"Quiet. If we look around, maybe the answers to those questions will reveal themselves."

4


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The throne room proved empty, and neither Link nor Tael could decipher the strange glyphs carved in the walls, so they pushed their way through the giant brass double doors into another long hall. Tall marble pillars lined the room. Each had several short metal arms holding working glode rocks.

The room was very similar to the throne room, but this one had more doors lining the walls, and there were balconies on either side. Link hurried across to the other end. His quick footsteps echoed through the vast hall and he kept imagining that Dark Link would jump out from behind a pillar. Fortunately that never happened. Unfortunately, what really happened was worse.

The doors at the other end of the hall burst open, and Link screeched to a halt as he saw several Moblins march through. With no time to hide, Link unsheathed his sword. The Moblins took on a surprised expression and then started laughing. It was then that Link saw how many there were: about seven. Each of them was fully armed with spears and axes. Tael shrieked and shot off through a gap in the railing of the balcony and disappeared into a passageway.

Link injured a few of the Moblins before they grabbed hold of his legs and right arm and held him off the floor like a struggling fish. They weren't laughing any more, and Link's situation was serious as well. Link's arm was released suddenly, letting his head smack against the warm stone floor, and he lost consciousness.

) () (

Pyrobia, year 132

Shouts and screams rang through the gargantuan hall as the Moblins quickly destroyed all the servants. The king had already been disposed of, and since the Goron soldiers were gone, the battle was like water smashing against the seashore, washing away all the sand.

Something about killing all the innocent sentries and maids seemed wrong to Gruth, but his maniac side was taking over and he couldn't think straight. His axe hacked through a particularly fat Goron's neck and into a marble pillar, sending black fragments of stone splashing to the floor, disrupting his mirror image in the crimson puddle at his feet.

The ripples subsided, and for a moment he was terrified of the face he saw reflected in the pool. The feeling was jerked away as soon as it had come, and he turned away, ready for more action, only to come face to face with a blinding light.

) () (

When Link came to, the first thing he noticed was a ceiling of iron bars eight feet above his head. He jolted upright, then squeezed his eyes shut and grasped his head, groaning at the sharp pain in the back of his head.

"Careful, careful! You have a nasty wound on your head. Please, rest."

Those words were too familiar by now. He couldn't rest, he had to find Navi; he had to - Link slumped back down onto the floor and kept his eyes comfortably closed. After a few minutes, he suddenly realized someone had spoken to him in Hylian, and made the mistake of thrusting his head upward again. It triggered another sharp pang, and his head would have thumped to the ground if it hadn't been for the many hands that grasped him and slowly lowered him.

"Relax. You can't get out, the only thing to do is rest," said the same rough but soft male voice.

"Who are you?" Link asked, examining the thin, heavily bearded man with light brown curly hair leaning over him. "Where are we?"

"My name is Horacio. I'm from Myrennia Castle Town, and I was captured here a few years ago while exploring the Amathar Mountains. I think this may be the ancient Goron city of Pyrobia, but now it's being occupied by Moblins. How they got here, I don't know."

"Do you know anything about the mines?" Link croaked.

"Mines? ...No, I can't say I have. Why?"

"That's where I just came from. There were more humans down there, and I'm not sure what happened to them. We were being fed to wild boars in front of a ton of Moblins, but I managed to escape and free the rest of them. Then I got lost in the mines and found my way up here."

A look of realization and horror crossed Horacio's face, and he seemed to lose so much energy it looked as if he had just thrown a boulder across a river.

"So that's where they take us," he said sadly.

"Sorry?"

"Every once in a while the Moblins take a group of us out of here, and we never see them again. It's always been a big mystery to me, until now."

"Don't they run out of people, though?" Link asked, turning his head sideways. He was shocked to see that besides the humans in the same cage with him, there were about two hundred more, in separate cages. They were lined up like barracks in the huge, rough brown cavern. There were humans of all ages, Link noticed...except there were no old ones.

"As long as they have a male and a female, no. When the number of babies grows thin...the Moblins hold a sort of 'convention' and force what they call 'participants' to..." Horacio trailed off, watching Link's eyes grew wide.

"You can't be serious!"

"That was my reaction as well. Now, if we could please drop this subject..." Horacio hid his eyes in his long sandy curls and was quiet. Link was silent for a minute as well.

"You were one of those 'participants' once, weren't you?"

"I said drop it!" Horacio yelled, rousing the half-asleep (and some completely out) occupants of the cage and others nearby. Link went silent again and cursed himself for bringing it up. To change the subject, he thought of a different question.

"How come none of the others know Hylian?"

"They were raised here, so all they know is the Moblin tongue. It can be quite annoying at times, the roughness of it all. That's why I was glad when you were put into our cage."

"I know what you mean. I had...a friend with me, but he ran off before I was captured." Link left out the part about Tael being a fairy, because he felt it might give Horacio false hope. If anyone could get them out of there, it was a fairy, but Link doubted Tael would be of any help. Where had he gone, anyway?

) () (

Tael peered through the iron bars of the thick wooden door at the strange creature inside. It had a green scaly body, a large orange beak, small feathers poking out behind the holes where the ears should be, and webbed hands and feet. It looked like a mixture between a fish and a bird, yet it was the size of a human. Its eyes were closed, so it didn't notice Tael yet. If it was locked in a cell like this because of the Moblins, it couldn't be too bad.

Tael decided to find out at a safe distance, and shook his body in midair, creating a small dingle sound. The creature's eyes became black slits and then opened wide, exposing the shiny, inky orbs underneath the shimmering eyelids. Tael remained floating on the other side of the iron window, waiting cautiously for the creature's reaction.

"A fairy? What are you doing here?" The thing said in a rough, gurgling voice. He stood on his thick legs and stumbled over to the door. Tael backed up a little.

"My friend was captured by the Moblins, and I was hiding," Tael stuttered.

"You can't imagine how glad I am to see you! I've been waiting for someone like you ever since I was captured," the creature said excitedly, tears forming in his eyes.

"...How long would that be?" Tael said warily. After a small pause, the creature replied.

"Four hundred and forty-three years."

3


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A long silence followed after the creature spoke. _Almost four hundred and fifty years? This thing must be something special, _Tael concluded.

"Please, you must help me. My other half is in a cell on the other side of the castle," the creature pleaded. "I don't know who you are, but I'll pay you back greatly if you can get me out of here."

"Other half?" Tael questioned. "You look pretty whole to me."

"Trust me. This isn't how I'm supposed to look."

"All right then. If you can help me get my friend back, I can help get you out of here."

"No problem," the creature replied. "Now, there's a Moblin guard that comes by here every day to give me food. You can probably snatch the keys from him while he's not looking. If you miss him, he comes by my other half afterwards. You'll have to be quick and quiet, though."

There was a sharp click, and the thick wooden door groaned loudly inward. Tael brushed off his hands, smiling. The creature stared in amazement.

"How'd you do that?"

"There was a ring of keys hanging on the wall. Now let's go get your friend...err, other half."

) () (

"I didn't ask your name," said Horacio after what seemed like hours.

"Link," Link said without opening his eyes.

"Where are you from? What brought you to this unfortunate situation?"

Link chuckled at the phrase. "I'm from Hyrule, but I don't know if you've heard of it. It's a parallel dimension to Termina. I came from there trying to find some kidnapped friends of mine."

"Hyrule. No, never heard of it," Horacio commented. "So, were they kidnapped by Moblins or what?"

"No. I got lost in the desert and kind of dropped in on the Moblins' festivities."

There was a small pause, and then Horacio asked, "What were you doing in the desert?"

"It's a long story."

"In case you haven't noticed, we're practically made of time right now," Horacio said in a joking tone, but he wasn't kidding.

Link bit his tongue and then recited everything that had happened since Tael had come to him pleading for help. Horacio was silent and absorbed every detail.

"It sounds a little far-fetched," he said after Link finished. "But I'll give you one thing: you're a great storyteller."

Link remained quiet. It didn't matter whether Horacio believed him or not, but he was a little upset that he didn't. He fell asleep wondering what would become of them.

) () (

"Here it is," the creature said as Tael and he came to the end of a darkened, torchlit passageway. A thick wooden door stood on the left wall, and another creature was waiting there. It looked exactly like the other. The creature with Tael held out the key ring and tried the keys until one of them worked.

The click resonated through the hallway, and the instant the door swung open, the two creatures leapt at each other eagerly. Tael watched as time seemed to slow down until it was almost stopped. The creatures were inching towards each other in midair, then suddenly, with a bright flash of colors, the two of them were sucked into a two-dimensional white hole.

The hole pulsated with different colors: soft pink, sky blue, and spring green. The pulse quickened and then an explosion rocked the hallway, sending Tael sputtering to the floor. A bright white light blinded him, and he shielded his eyes, excited but frightened to see what stood before him.

) () (

Pyrobia, year 132

A feeling of horror, sorrow and weakness swarmed through Gruth's body the instant he got a look at the source of the bright light. It was a woman, human in appearance, but giant butterfly-like wings sprouted from her back. She was floating three feet off the floor, her glowing white gown fluttering around her in a nonexistant breeze. She could be nothing but a fairy.

Her face was beautiful but terrifying; it was as soft as a flower and as hard as stone at the same time. Waves of amber brown hair rippled around her head like a crown, engulfing a wreath of white flowers. Gruth found that he couldn't speak.

"I am Rosaria, the Great Fairy of the Mountain," said the fairy in a voice that was neither male nor female; it sounded like a roaring waterfall behind a rippling brook. "It is my duty to protect the Gorons of Pyrobia, even if it means to eliminate any who stand in my way. You have no right to destroy their lives like this."

"It...was not my choice," Gruth managed to stutter.

"It was not your choice? I've been watching you, and you have not been acting on that statement."

"You don't understand. I really don't want to do this, but when I am forced to, I enjoy it against my will. I can't explain it any differently. Please, don't hurt me!"

Rosaria closed her eyes and for a moment Gruth could see her temples throbbing. Then a sharp pain rapped against his brain and he recoiled, suddenly tense. The pang seemed to pulsate through different areas of his head as if probing for something. The instant Rosaria opened her eyes, the pain was gone.

"You speak the truth. I am deeply sorry for your predicament. I can free you of your curse if you-" Rosaria was cut off abruptly as she exploded into two blinding pieces that flopped on the ground in front of Gruth. It felt as if his very soul had been violently torn apart. His supervisor stood behind the bright white figures, axe in hand.

"Quick, grab them!" the Moblin yelled, struggling with one of the strange, scaly creatures. Other Moblins rushed over to help restrain the two pieces of the fairy. Gruth's expression changed from pure horror to pure anger in an instant. Without thinking, he dove into the group at his supervisor, axe raised.

In a matter of minutes, two Moblins lay dead, their blood mingling with that of the Gorons. In his anger, Gruth had torn apart his supervisor and killed himself in anguish. If his life would only bring death to others, he may as well end it, and in the process, save hundreds of people from suffering.

) () (

The gruff voice of a Moblin woke Link, and he unclenched his eyelids, looking in the direction of the sound. Before he had time to react, he felt a firm, thick hand grasp his arm and he was wrenched through the cage door, his head throbbing painfully. He gritted his teeth at the pain, but was unable to do anything about it; he was being dragged across the smooth stone floor.

Horacio and the other humans stared after him sympathetically, but he knew they couldn't do anything. Another Moblin behind him had locked the cage, and he was following them now. Without a second thought, Link stretched his legs and kicked at the second Moblin's ankles, causing him to stumble and then trip forward violently.

He had fallen so suddenly that Link didn't have the time to twist out of way of the crashing beast. The thing landed on top of him, tearing his arm from the other Moblin's grip. Link screamed in agony; it felt like every bone in his body had been snapped at once. He was sure that his shoulder was dislocated.

Immediately the Moblins growled, and both of them grabbed him with such violence that he couldn't help but shed a few tears in pain.

"ENOUGH!"

The explosive voice sounded like a volcano crumbling into the ocean. Link was painfully dropped to the ground and he almost passed out. Somehow, he remained conscious.

"I have returned to avenge the Gorons so mercilessly treated in their very homes over four hundred years ago. I now see that I have more reason to destroy you."

The voice continued to boom through the cavern, but Link couldn't turn his head to see what was happening or who was there; something was wrong with his neck. Suddenly the voice stopped and the cavern started rumbling. Link felt a slight breeze ripple across his body; it turned to wind, and then to a gale. All the while the shaking of the cave continuously increased. Link was then aware of the walls. They were starting to glow a fierce cherry color.

_What is going on?_ Link thought frantically, trying to scramble away from the burning floor before realizing his arms and legs would not move. There was a sharp shriek and a blinding flash of light, and the Moblins standing above him gave fatal screams as they were galvanized from the inside out. They both slumped to the floor, dead.

Another flash of light and the top of a cage in the corner of his vision crumbled into dust. A deafening cheer rang through the cavern. The last thing Link saw before passing out was the ghostly sight of a purplish ball of light floating above his head.

4


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

When Link opened his eyes, two things surprised him. First of all, a glowing woman was leaning over him from the side. Her face appeared chiseled and cold, but also soft and warm. Flowing, shiny curls swarmed around her head like bronze snakes. As he jerked away in shock, he noticed the second thing.

His body had been fully healed. Even his broken arm was as good as new, and the sling was gone. Tears came to his eyes as Tael floated above him.

"You can thank Queen Rosaria," Tael said. "She got rid of the Moblins, freed all the humans and healed your injuries. And believe me, you had a lot."

"Who are you?" Link inquired with interest, sitting up and turning to the shimmering woman.

"I am the Great Fairy of the Mountain. This used to be a Goron city, and I was the protector. Only, I didn't do my job very well. I was captured here with the rest of the city and was split in half so that I couldn't cause any harm. Your friend Tael helped me escape."

"When was this place a Goron city?" Link asked, scanning the vast, empty cavern full of humans milling about.

"Over four hundred years ago. All the Gorons were killed, and the Moblins captured a group of humans from Myrennia castle who happened to stumble upon us. Ironically, they had just been attacked by the Ikanians, so they had come to Pyrobia to seek shelter. What they found was much different."

"Four hundred years of this," Link commented.

"Yes. The Moblins came down hard on anyone who tried to use the Hylian language. Now, most of the captives don't know any Hylian. Except for your other friend, and a couple others who were captured more recently," Rosaria said, giving a slight jerk of her head. Link turned to observe Horacio jogging toward them.

"Link, we've been trying to decide what we need to do," Horacio said. "I've discussed some options with other recent arrivals and we explained them to the rest of the people with the help of translators. Some think we should head for Myrennia Castle Town, through the mysterious forest. Others want to skirt the edge of the desert until they reach the path to Hayen Village and settle there. And then...there are those who refuse to leave."

Link wasn't surprised. "The people down in the mines seemed hesitant to leave their cell when I freed them. Do you think they're afraid of being outside? They've never left this place."

"I would guess. I came to ask your opinion."

Link scratched his head. "There are what, two hundred some people? I don't know how so many could move into one of those towns all at once, even if they were split up. Are there any other villages close by?" Horacio shook his head. "Then what do you think?"

"Actually, I think it might work if we give everyone what they want. Some of them will go with me to Hyrule Castle Town, some will go to Hayen, and the rest will stay here and rebuild Pyrobia under Rosaria's guidance."

"But the Moblins are still down there," Link argued. "They could come up here at any moment. And where would they get all their food?"

"I'll take care of those beasts," Rosaria said confidently. "I've been waiting to ever since that day..." she trailed off and then abruptly continued. "The ground here is actually quite fertile. Although the Gorons only eat rocks and didn't grow any food, there are plenty of green plateaus outside perfect for growing things. Mountain Boars are also common, so they'll have meat."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe...Moblins have feelings, too?" Link asked, almost in a dreamy state. "They have wives, children...what do you think? On one hand, they torture and kill a lot of people...but according to you, the Gorons attacked first."

Rosaria was taken aback. "They killed the Goron miners first. They're heartless, cruel creatures and deserve nothing better than to die." There was an awkward pause and Link saw something about her face soften. "There was one Moblin, though...he was completely lost in his emotions. He said that killing was what he least wanted to do, but once he started, it was his favorite thing to do."

"You believed him?" Horacio said in shock.

"I probed his mind, and he was truthful. I was about to free him from the curse when..." Rosaria turned away to hide her tears.

"Do you think it's possible that in Moblins' minds, everything is reversed? Every chance humans get, we try to kill them all as if they're just big, mindless insects. Years of thinking like that just left a permanent scar between the races, and now we just hate each other. Sometimes I wonder what it was that caused us to go against each other in the first place."

"Are you siding with them now, too!" Horacio shouted, clapping his hands on his forehead in disbelief. "They have brains the size of peas. All they think about is blood."

"Rosaria...is there a way to negotiate with the Moblins without anyone getting hurt?" Link suggested. "Maybe if we show that we aren't just killing machines, things could turn out better than we expected."

"I can try. But I already killed the Moblins up here. That should upset the rest of them enough to make them refuse and then kill us. If it gets that far, though, I get to slaughter them."

Seeing that he couldn't do anything else about it, Link turned to Horacio. "I'll go with the group to Hayen. I have someone there I need to talk to, so I might as well go with them."

"Oh? Who might that be?"

"Garod, the guy I told you about earlier. I'm going to tell him to do a little more research before sending me into the desert like that," chuckled Link.

"Actually, if you're looking for information about the Pearl of Darkness, I think you should speak with King Raoul. You told me Garod suggested seeing him?"

"So then you do believe me? Anyway, like I told you, I can't see the king," Link sighed.

"I think I can help you out with that. Now, still want to go to Hayen?" Horacio said.

"If you can really get me in, then I'll go with you, I guess," Link said. "When do we leave?"

) () (

The sun was setting over the peaks of the reddish-brown Amathar Mountains when the group of one hundred and forty-seven amazed humans emerged from the yawning entrance to Pyrobia. A valley stretched down the side of the mountain and emptied into a flat area covered in tall grass and a few sparse trees, eventually growing into a thick forest. On the left, Link could see the desert stretching into eternity. On the right, the sky was clouded and purplish.

"Those are the haunted mountains," Horacio commented as the huge group slowly started down the winding mountain path. Link stared at the black jagged mountains, whose peaks were invisible behind the opaque thunderclouds. They dwarfed the Amathar Mountains.

A chill went down Link's spine. That was where he had to go. He could see it in the distance, but he knew that he couldn't get there yet. After speaking with the king - if Horacio kept his word - maybe he would get more details on the Pearl. He kept his eyes on the shadowy mountains, even after the sun vanished behind the Amathar peaks and night covered the weary humans like a smothering blanket, reminding them of their hunger.

"Do you think we can find any fruit or anything in the forest?" Link asked Horacio, exhausted.

"I'm not sure. There are thousands of different species of fungi in there, but I have no idea which ones are poisonous; they're not in any books. I think it'd be safer to leave them alone. I know there is a good amount of water that flows through the woods, so if we can get through quickly, we'll be fine."

The group remained mostly silent until they reached the mouth of the valley; this was where they would split up, some leaving to follow the edge of the woods, and the rest plunging in. The two groups did a quick head count; Horacio's group contained sixty-three (not including Tael) and the other group was made up of eighty-four.

The groups split apart and Link watched the others disappear into the night. Ahead of him loomed an endless forest of strange, twisted trees. He had never heard the stories about the woods and neither had the Moblin-raised humans, but Horacio seemed on edge.

"Feeling a little tense, Horacio?" Link joked.

"We don't know much about the woods. Few people venture underneath the gnarled boughs of the mushrooms; it's a very odd place."

"Those are mushrooms?" Link asked, surprised. He examined the trees around them and it was then that he noticed the mushroom-like qualities. The lowest branches were arching out from the trunk at the same level and at regular intervals, and to Link's surprise, there were strange greenish membranes stretched between them. On the ends of the branches were what he had assumed to be leaves, but they were actually tiny individual mushrooms, tinted the same strange green hue as the membranes.

Upon touching the trunk, instead of a rough, brittle texture, he found it to be rubbery and soft. He sneezed and looked up, almost expecting to see tiny pores floating around, but it was too dark. The thick smell of mildew hung in the air. Horacio was right. They were plunging into a forest of gigantic fungus.

"So what happened to those few people?" Link asked, guessing at the answer.

"Well, I know it sounds cliché, but they were never seen again. I've heard a lot of theories about what happened to them. One of them is that they turned into mushrooms, which is highly unlikely. Another is that they found something special and built a city around it. And of course, there's always the obvious: they died. But I would restrain from telling that to anyone."

Link observed the group of humans walking alongside them. They did look a little confused and frightened, but that was probably to be expected after having lived inside a cave for all their lives. Suddenly a question struck him: What were they going to do once they reached Myrennia Castle? Just drop them off and tell them to get jobs, build houses, learn Hylian?

He asked Horacio, who just smiled and said: "I've already taken that into account. Don't worry."

Suddenly there was a frantic peak of noise in the group's conversations, and Link turned around to find people spinning around looking for something. The group translator turned back and forth, pointing his finger in the air.

"Sixty-one," he said in despair.

"Did you miscount?" Horacio quickly tried it, and Link made sure to do a count himself just to make sure. But the result just confirmed their fears. The number of people had dropped by two.

"Maybe we didn't count right when we split up," Tael suggested.

"Maybe, but some of the group is saying they can't find their friends," said the translator. Horacio turned pale. Link turned to look at him.

"Can we worry now?" Link asked.

4


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Take them back," Horacio said to the translator, sharpening a hunting knife taken from one of the Moblins. "Move fast, and once you're out of the woods, try to catch up with the other group. I'm looking for the missing guys. I'll meet you at the castle." He turned and strode into the thick mildewy depths of the forest.

"Wait!" Link yelled after him. Horacio stopped, turned his head, and put his finger up to his lips. "I'm coming with you," Link said more quietly.

"What?" Tael gasped.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Link snapped. "But I'm going."

"Hurry up," Horacio said with urgency. Tael frantically looked back and forth.

"Ok, I'm coming too," he replied. "It's not my fault if we get ourselves killed."

"Don't worry. If it really turns out that bad, I won't be able to blame you anyway."

The three plunged down a spongy slope and zigzagged through the white rubbery mushroom stalks. Eventually the quiet sounds of the group faded into nothing and they were surrounded by lonely darkness. Tael's purple light illuminated the increasingly strange mushrooms in almost terrifying ways. Shadows swayed across their vision like dark creatures prancing around them.

The green and white mushrooms gradually gave way to black, gnarled stalks of differing lengths with slightly glowing, deep blue caps. Reddish moss hung down from the edges, and here and there Link spotted vines covered in thorns tangled around the stalks.

If Dark Link were to strike, this would be the worst place. It was night, and Dark seemed to do all his work in the dark. Link wasn't sure if light would even be able to penetrate the thick ceiling of mushrooms during the day. Suddenly, he felt a cold hand grab his shoulder. He gasped and spun around, wrenching from the rough grip.

"Relax. It's just me. We need to stop to rest," Horacio said. His eyes were drooping as if ten-pound weights hung from each. Link wasn't tired at all, but he would rather stop and rest with Horacio and Tael than have them collapse behind him and be all alone. "You've just been healed by the Great Fairy," Horacio wheezed. "I don't have as much energy as you. We've already gone enough miles for the day."

Link sat on a short toadstool and sighed. While waiting for the humans to group together Rosaria had told him that the Moblins had come from this area. Something must have scared them off. It wasn't hard to believe. That place was like another world.

He felt his eyes drooping like Horacio's had, and a sneeze erupted from his lungs. Through the foggy haze over his eyes, he could see Tael and Horacio lying motionless on the ground below. He felt as if he could fall asleep just then, but he knew he had to stay awake to keep watch since those two were asleep.

_Keep...your eyes...open...just a little...longer..._

) () (

Moblin Village, year 102

"You can open your eyes now."

Sandi gave a toothy grin as Baro's rough hands softly left her face, and she opened her eyes. Instantly her expression drained away and was replaced by shock.

"Happy anniversary," Baro whispered in her ear.

In front of her was a circular cave, filled with an inch-deep pool of clear water covering a layer of colorful, smooth stones. Large white mushrooms sprouted from the water, each one a few inches taller than the last. They formed steps up to a huge toadstool with a bright green cap almost touching the smooth ceiling. A smile spread over her lips once she got over the initial surprise.

Baro helped her up the steps carefully. She was pregnant, and the village elder had told them the child was to be a boy; he would be born next year. For their anniversary dinner, Baro had chosen only the finest venison and boiled it with forest mushrooms and gravy until it was as tender as he could get it. He had bought the best wine he could afford, and he could only hope Sandi would be satisfied.

"Ohh," she said in a soothing tone as they came level with the mushroom table and saw the dinner set upon it. "Honey, you know I don't need all this."

"But you deserve it," Baro said, guiding her into her seat. "Have you thought about a name for our son?"

"I was trying to decide between three: Rolen, Firen or Gruth."

"Gruth," Baro said, "is a fine name, fit for the finest soldier in the Moblin army."

Sandi giggled. "Then Gruth it is."

) () (

When Link awoke, his eyes revealed nothing more than when he was sleeping. It was pitch black, wherever he was. The next thing he noticed was the smell. It was like rotten carcasses mixed with elephant dung. It was as he gagged that he noticed the last thing: he was in a hot, scratchy burlap sack up to his neck, seemingly dangling from something; he couldn't reach the ground.

It was no use struggling, there were ropes tied tightly around the outside of the bag, restricting his movement to nothing. He released a tiny whimper as he tried to adjust his uncomfortable position.

There was a quick scratching sound and an orange flame leapt up in front of him, illuminating a wrinkled, thin Moblin with white hair. Link let out a yelp of surprise and wrenched his little pod side to side, helpless. The Moblin let out an almost friendly laugh, using his match to light a candle on a table nearby.

Link was hanging against the wall of a small, rickety cabin that seemed to be leaning over to one side. He noticed that Horacio was tied up in another bag, but he was still asleep. Where was Tael? The old Moblin said something in the rough, snorting, barking dialect Link had gotten used to hearing by now.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Moblin."

"He commented on the fact that you're finally awake," Link heard Tael's voice say from somewhere in the cabin. The fairy said something in the Moblin's tongue and got a small grunt in reply. "I told him you don't speak his language."

"You speak Moblin?" Link asked in confusion. "Why didn't you say so before?"

"It didn't come up. I know a lot of different languages, but I didn't want to brag."

"Then where are we?" Link questioned. He heard Horacio stir next to him.

"What the - " Horacio mumbled.

"Don't freak out," Link said. "He not going to kill us. At least, not yet..."

"I tried to threaten him by telling him about you killing numerous Moblins in Amathar. He laughed," Tael said, coming into view on Link's right. "He said 'serves them right.' I asked what he meant and he said he broke away from his tribe fifty years ago because he was sick of the things they did to the humans but couldn't do anything about it."

"Is he trustworthy?" Horacio asked.

"So long as you don't try and hurt him, you should be ok," Tael said. "He tied you up for his own protection in case you tried to do something stupid. I told him you guys were safe, but he insisted you be kept secured until you had all the information. Now that you do, will you promise not to attack him?"

"Of course," Link said. Horacio took a few seconds longer, but finally he gave in. Tael relayed the message to the Moblin, who gave a crooked smile and then undid the ropes binding Link. Once he thumped to the floor and wriggled out of the sack, the Moblin got to work on Horacio's.

"Now," the Moblin said through Tael, "my name is Freid. I live here by myself on the border of Morathin swamp, apart from the rest of my race. I understand you're trying to get to the other side of these woods?"

"That's right," Horacio said to their fairy translator. "We were travelling through the forest last night. That's the last thing I remember. We need to reach the other side so we can get to Myrennia Castle."

"Well, it's too dangerous to go through the woods. That's Fungistul territory," Freid said, shaking his head. "You would've been captured by them last night if I hadn't found you. Their black-and-blue mushrooms release spores that make you drowsy. They collect anything caught in their woods in the morning."

"Who are the Fungistuls?" Horacio asked. "I've never heard of them."

"Very dangerous creatures. They look harmless enough, but unless you're a mushroom, you should keep clear."

"So what do you suggest?" Link asked.

"Go through the swamp. The Fungistuls don't come near. That's why I live here, besides the fact that it used to be an old Moblin village."

"Really? What happened to it?" Tael asked, making sure to say it in Hylian as well so Link and Horacio understood.

"Not sure. If you really want to find out, there's a temple located in the heart of the swamp. My ancestor was one of the priests, so he had his own quarters there. If you can find the old medallion he kept in his room - "

Tael cut off abruptly as Freid grabbed Link across the chest and held him in a headlock with a knife against his face. The Moblin had said something else, but Tael was silent.

"Tael, what did he say?" Link asked frantically, shocked at the Moblin's sudden change.

"He said 'if you can find the old medallion he kept in his room, I'll spare the boy.'" The color drained from Horacio's face at the last few words.

"You should never have come with me," he said to Link and Tael, restraining himself from jumping at Freid. The Moblin yelled something, and Tael's voice shook as he recited the order.

"He wants you to come back by tomorrow morning with the medallion," he said. "Otherwise..." Tael's voice cracked and he was silent. Horacio froze in place. "Hurry up!" Tael yelled.

"How will I know where to look?"

Freid said something else in a rough, low voice.

"He says there's a boat behind the house and wishes you good luck finding the medallion yourself, if you can manage to hold the boat together long enough to get there," Tael sadly relayed to Horacio. "As for me, I'll stay behind and make sure he stays here. You'd better hurry up before he changes his mind."

4


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

As soon as Horacio stepped through the rickety door, he felt like he had run into a wall. The pungent stench of the swamp hit him instantly, making him feel nauseous. He was standing on a small wooden porch that wrapped around the cabin. The house was standing in a mire of purplish-green ooze. Tall, thick trees with huge arching roots rose from the swamp, blocking much of the sun with thousands of black leaves above.

"You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled, staring into the syrupy muck. "You couldn't even row a boat through this stuff!"

When he circled the house and found the dock, he was in even more disbelief. A decrepit rowboat was tied to the end of the dock. It looked as old as the cabin and Horacio was afraid it would sink with just the slightest bit of pressure. Fragments of white paint hung onto the hull here and there, but it was mostly a dry brown color. The bottom of the boat appeared soggy and Horacio was reluctant to step into it.

Knowing Link was in danger finally propelled him into the rowboat, and to his surprise, it remained afloat. The instant he lowered the oars into the muck, a glow seemed to emanate from the depths below. Shreds of milky white swam through the sludge with ease, letting out an eerie low hum. He ignored the bizarre appearance of the swamp and pulled against the oars.

One of them snapped off in his hand, the rotten end sinking slowly into the mire. With wide eyes, Horacio examined the other oar to make sure it wasn't as brittle before he tried to put any pressure on it. It looked okay, so he carefully tugged at it with both hands, straining against the swamp's resistance. Finally the boat jerked loose from the sticky buildup on the hull and started gliding slowly across the surface.

) () (

Moblin Temple, year 102

Baro tugged at the heavy rope attached to the brass bell hanging in the tower high above. The low, melodic bangs pulsated through the stone temple, calling all the priests to the sanctuary. He tied up the rope to a hook on the wall and climbed down the notches in the wall of stone to kneel in his place on the floor of the large room. Sunlight shone in through slits high in the wall, and one shaft shone particularly bright on the idol of Manso, a small golden statue of a serpent with emerald eyes.

As the priests filtered into the room, Baro couldn't stop thinking about the strange medallion he had found two days ago. It was bronze, with the ancient character for "water" - a short, horizontal squiggly line - carved in the center on both sides. He was trying to figure out if it was one of the legendary magic medallions used to control the elements or just a small trinket that had landed in the bushes somehow.

The Kenak Mountains stood to the east. The medallion may have come from there. That place was bursting with strange magic. The small, dark-skinned humans of the jungle were extremely dangerous, and all Moblins always avoided venturing into their territory.

Baro did not remember that morning's prayer - his mind was too eager to get back to his room and examine the medallion further. The Elder was always admonishing him for letting his mind wander when he should be meditating. Baro had tried to concentrate in the past, but now that the medallion was here, it was nearly impossible to focus on anything else. After simply looking the object over countless times, Baro had started doing experiments on it with fire and any chemicals he could gather.

During the morning meditation, an idea came to him as if he had hit a brick wall. He hadn't tried putting it in water. As simple as it sounded, he decided that must be the key. Why else would the character for water be etched on it? Would it do something when placed underwater?

As soon as the meditation was over, he sprang up and was the first one out the door. There was a sink in his room; he would try it as soon as he got there.

) () (

Horacio clenched his teeth as he strained against the glowing sludge. The only things he saw were the huge moss-covered column-like tree trunks and the flat expanse of algae-covered syrupy muck. The only sounds were the rhythmic chirping of insects and his oar slapping against the surface of the swamp. The stench of the swamp filled his nostrils and blocked out all other smells. His fingers began to blister against the rough, splintered wood.

Slowly, he was aware of a new sound, blurring its way into existence. A soft, soothing melody floated amid the trees; it was like a mixture of a flute and a woman's voice. Then, another voice joined in. The tension in Horacio's jaw and arms was released, and he let the oar slip into the water. Soon, still another voice accompanied the first two, and the result was a beautiful, enchanting, eerie song that drifted around Horacio's ears.

He peered into the water at the swirls of ghostly white. Flawless female faces started appearing deep in the swamp and then vanished in an instant, only to be replaced by new ones. Horacio could feel his fear melt into the soft, flowing music, and he didn't notice that he was leaning far over the edge, causing the boat to tip over.

) () (

Moblin Temple, year 102

Baro quickly closed his door behind him, being careful not to make a loud noise. The medallion was in a small puzzle box inside his drawer. He grabbed the stone pyramid and twisted all the interlocking pieces until the top snapped off. Thank goodness, the medallion was still in the velvet-covered container. Even though it was highly unlikely anyone could break into his room and then into the confusing pyramid box, he was always on edge before opening it.

He carried the bronze disk to the rough stone sink set into the wall and shoved the plug into the drain. After turning the knob and letting water fill the sink halfway, he lowered the medallion into the water. Nothing happened.

Baro stood silently for a minute, staring at the distorted image of the medallion under the rippling water. Suddenly it started emitting a strange greenish-purplish substance. His eyes widened and he watched closely as the water turned a sickly brown. A putrid smell wafted into his nostrils, causing him to recoil from the sink. What use was this? Who wanted a medallion that turned water into some kind of disgusting substance?

_Unless that's its very purpose,_ he thought. _A device used to ruin your enemy's water source. In that case, it's lucky I have it and not the Kenaks, since our water comes from there. I'd better make sure to keep it in a safer place._

He quickly thrust his hand into the muck and wrenched the medallion from the bottom. Satisfied that he could touch the stuff, he reached in and unplugged the sink, allowing the waste to slowly filter down through the pipes. It took a good washing to get everything clean, and the smell still didn't fully go away until three days later. He needed to put this somewhere where it would never be found.

) () (

The instant Horacio hit the water, he felt as though he had landed on a slab of icy marble. His eyes shut quickly to block out the swamp water, and he flailed his arms frantically. It was no use; the muck was pulling him down and he couldn't get his head up to get a breath. He wasn't even sure which way up or down was.

Clammy, spidery fingers trailed along his body. All he could hear were light whispers, like a breeze blowing through a willow tree. The thick sludge blocked out everything else. His chest yearned for air, but he couldn't find any. He could hear the soothing melody slowly come back into existence, but this time it only terrified him and he struggled to kick his way free of the syrup.

His chest muscles automatically kicked in, sucking swamp water down his windpipe and into his lungs. For a brief moment, a freezing sensation took over him. Then everything flickered out.

) () (

Link had been tied back up in the sack, and Tael was hovering in the opposite corner worriedly. Freid casually sat at the table in between them. There was no way for him to bind Tael, but there was also no way for Tael to overpower the Moblin. Tael felt that he had the disadvantage.

Freid glanced out the broken window across the room, and Tael looked as well. Horacio was out of sight now. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor took Tael's attention back to Freid; he was standing up. To Tael's surprise, the old Moblin was holding a club, and he gave Link a solid whack across the head. Tael let out a staccato dinging noise as Link's head slumped to the side, showing the fresh, red wound on the side. What was he doing?

Freid slung the bag over his shoulder, and, after blowing out the candle, strode toward the door. Tael's body was propelled with an explosion of rage, and he flew at Freid. The Moblin's free hand swung outward and smacked Tael in midair, sending the fairy into a spiraling nosedive. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

) () (

Moblin Village, year 102

"So you'll keep it in the vaults?" Baro asked, producing a bundle of brown cloth from a fold of his white robe. The tall white stalk-like creature in front of him nodded its bulbous, spore-filled cap silently. Beneath the deep green cap rested two small black eyes and a thin slit for a mouth. A slender arm was stretched outwards, palm up.

Baro hesitated. The Fungistuls were known for their extensive crystal vaults, impossible to break into. He felt that entrusting the medallion to them was necessary, but he couldn't help but feel a little reluctant to part with it for some reason. It felt as though the medallion were part of him.

The Fungistul coaxed him back into reality, and Baro quickly handed over the bundle to get it over with. He thought he glimpsed the Fungistul's tight mouth curl into a slight smile, but he couldn't be sure. Before he knew what was happening, the mushroom had vanished into the foliage. Baro shook his head and tromped back through the bushes into the village.

) () (

Link gradually became aware of his surroundings. He was hanging over a Moblin's shoulder like a potato sack again, and he could see a greenish blur through the splintered planks of wood under the Moblin's feet. It looked like they were walking across some sort of bridge high above the forest floor. He struggled to lift his head and was shocked to see that it was more than that.

Giant mushroom stalks surrounded them, the caps blocking out three-fourths of the bright midday sky above. Pebble-sized spike-covered spores hovered everywhere. He tilted his head painfully and looked over the side of the bridge. Huge insects scuttled along through the tall grass, some of them climbing up the mushroom stalks. A line of red ants stretched underneath the bridge, and a gigantic spider web connected two mushrooms: one with three tiers of reddish orange caps and one with a cup-like blue spotted cap, both with white stalks.

So that was why he was on a bridge...but where was he?

Freid. Horacio. The names came rushing to his mind. What had happened? Had Horacio come back? Then where was he going right now? Where was Tael?

Link adjusted his position; Freid's shoulder was cutting into his stomach. Suddenly he felt himself slip forwards. Unable to stop himself, he squirmed in the sack to avoid falling headfirst to the ground. Freid mistook the action for an escape attempt and squeezed Link harder, pressing the side of his spiked gauntlet into Link's back. Link's legs kicked upwards and caught Freid in the jaw.

The stunned Moblin dropped backwards, letting Link fall dangerously close to the edge. Freid quickly stood and unsheathed Link's sword from his belt, holding it at Link's neck. His face clearly got his idea across; he could push Link off into the nest of huge insects with a nudge of his foot if he wanted to. The question was, why didn't he? Where were they going?

After the Moblin heaved Link back onto his shoulder, he strode across the sturdy wooden bridge for a few minutes. Link's eyelids were just about to shut when Freid suddenly stopped. Link twisted his head around the Moblin's side to see what was going on. Freid didn't try to stop him.

Ahead, the dense foliage dropped into a huge, deep, black pit. From the center rose an enormous, thick, pale blue mushroom with an entire city built on its cap. Arms of stone arched from the side of the pit to the stalk, which was glowing. The buildings on the cap were either made of smooth, curving grayish stone or individual mushrooms of different colors. Everything had a well-rounded look.

It had to be the Fungistul city. But why was Freid going here? Maybe his original attitude towards them had merely been a mask in order to get information from them. Was it possible that the Fungistuls wanted Link specifically? _Too many questions,_ Link thought, irritated. _I need answers._

5


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Blue light flickered on the other side of Horacio's eyelids. _Am I dead?_ He coughed violently and tasted the rancid swamp water drip from his mouth. A shrill screech brought his eyelids up, and he scanned his surroundings for the source of the sound. He was in a large cube-shaped room made of stone, lit only by two pearlescent blue lanterns on either side of him and a shaft of light coming in through a doorway up in one corner of the room.

He was sitting on a warm, slimy stone bench between the lanterns. It rested on a square island in the center of the room, surrounded by ghostly purple ooze. A large red mushroom with shelves splayed out here and there along the stem formed steps to the ledge where light was coming in.

Horacio cautiously stood and climbed the strange stairs, observing the walls of the room. They were darkened and slimy up to a little under the ledge at the top of the steps. From there up, they were dry. He glanced back downwards and noticed a tunnel covered by a grating at the base of each wall. Probably not a good sign. But if he could just walk out of there, there was no problem.

Unfortunately he found that the passageway out was blocked. Iron bars stretched from the floor to the ceiling across the whole hallway, which turned a corner just past the bars. There was a lever sticking out of the wall on the other side of the bars. It probably opened the gate, but he couldn't reach it. Was there anything else in the room?

Yes, there was another lever right next to him! _It must be my lucky day, _he thought as he pulled the lever. A screech filled the room, and then a gurgling, rushing sound. Horacio spun around and noticed ripples emanating from the gateways at the bases of the walls. Slime oozed over the island in the middle until it was completely covered. It continued to rise, enveloping the bench, and finally the tops of the lanterns. The room grew darker, but the swamp water began to glow with an eerie blue.

Like Horacio expected, the water stopped rising at the point where the walls were light-colored. A foreboding silence filled the chamber, which now looked significantly smaller. Then a large bubble broke the surface of the water, followed by thousands of tiny bubbles. Horacio backed up against the iron gate as the top of something big emerged from the slime. Maybe it wasn't so lucky after all.

) () (

Fungistul City, year 506

Gary ventured a peek over the massive fern leaf he was hiding behind. The pale blue fungal city in the center of the chasm remained silent, but he could see a few strange mushroom-shaped creatures strolling back and forth along the walls of the village. Palter kept watch for any gargantuan insects in case they had to climb into one of the mushroom trees nearby for safety.

"I'm going to do it," Gary whispered, tilting his head slightly so Palter could hear.

"No you're not," Palter rasped back. "We don't know who lives there. It might be dangerous!"

"Whoever lives there probably has something to do with Dad's disappearance. I thought you were in this with me!" Gary pleaded.

"You're only seventeen, Gary. Those people...if they did something to Dad, you're not going to fare much better. I can't let you go in there, especially at midnight."

"You're not much older! I know they took Dad. We have to go. That was the whole point of the trip. And we can sneak in more easily at night. I'm not going to wait around to let some bugs eat us while we could be getting revenge."

"Gary, we don't even know they have anything to do with it," Palter whispered, grabbing Gary's arm. "We're going back now. You told me this was going to be a normal old camping trip in the woods. You need to let go of Dad's death. Nothing you do will make it right, especially killing innocent people."

"No!" Gary jerked his arm away from his older brother. "Stop it! He's not dead; I know he's not dead! And those things aren't innocent! I saw them take him. It happened right in front of me!" Gary burst into tears, and he shoved away from Palter.

"Gary...it's not your fault."

Gary looked away for a few minutes. The saltwater on his cheeks glistened in the soft moonlight, and his eyes twinkled with a new passion.

"I'm going. I'm going to save him." Palter had no choice but to watch as Gary pushed through the thick vegetation; his wiry body soon disappeared into the night.

) () (

It was almost like a dream. Link hung half-asleep over Freid's shoulder as they passed over the smooth, arched stone bridge into the city. Blue mushrooms with wooden doors, windowpanes, and a soft glow lined the streets. One by one, human-sized mushrooms slowly left their houses to see what was passing. By now, Link was used to the musty smell, so he didn't notice. Had he been dropped into the city directly from a clean environment, he probably would have fainted.

Now he just felt drowsy. Maybe it was the work of the Fungistuls, like Freid had talked about. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how much he could trust the Moblin's words anymore. It seemed that Freid was in league with the Fungistuls, the very creatures he had warned were dangerous. Link hoped the Fungistuls could speak Hylian so he could get an explanation for all this.

He never got a chance to see where they were going; he fell fast asleep over Freid's shoulder.

) () (

Horacio clenched the iron bars behind him with white knuckles. Out of the mire rose a giant reddish-orange flower, wielding two long, thorny brown vines. Each petal of the flower was lined with sharp white needles, and a thick meaty tongue rose from the center. The pair of vines slapped the water, feeling for its prey. The four petals opened and closed with anticipation.

The lever was jammed; as hard as Horacio strained to push it back to its original position it wouldn't budge. His only choices were to get rid of that thing or somehow avoid it until he could find an alternate escape. Panic clouded his mind as a vine came dangerously close to his platform. _Think! Think! Escape door!_

The gratings underwater. Could he pull one out and swim through the tunnel? It was certainly risky; there was no knowing if the tunnel ever came out into fresh air. No matter, it was riskier to stand so close to those vines. He quickly (and silently, so he hoped) dove into the muck, struggling downwards blindly. _Open your eyes, you can't see. No, don't open your eyes! Who knows what that stuff is made of? But what if it's my only choice? No...I can't open my eyes. I just can't..._

Something grabbed his leg, and his eyes shot open in shock. Instantly the sting of the swamp water penetrated into his eyeballs, but he could see! Surprisingly, the slime was relatively clear under the surface. He could see a grating just ahead - suddenly he was jerked backwards. _No! It must've sensed me diving in._

Horacio twisted around and carefully but forcefully tried to wrench the spiky vine from his ankle. It was surprisingly strong; he couldn't even slip it down a little. Before he knew what was happening, he was violently fished from the water and he was dangling upside down above the creature's mouth. A foul, rotten smell wafted upwards, and he could almost feel the slimy purple tongue sliding over him.

When he felt the vine ease up on its grip, he swung upwards and grabbed the tentacle, missing the stem and slicing his right hand on a sharp thorn. His leg was released and he hung there, trying to keep his hold while the beast tried to shake him off. The drops of blood that fell into its mouth fueled its desire for meat, and the four petals rose to snatch Horacio's dangling feet.

Before it could snap up his calves, Horacio kicked the inside of the monster's petals, just below the hollow fangs. It let out a piercing squeal and flung him across the room. Horacio splashed into the water just before he would have hit the wall. He needed some kind of plan if the tentacles tried to grab him again.

When he found one of the ducts, he floated in front of it, watching the surface. A vine shot down into the water towards him, and he ducked out of the way quickly. The tentacle wrapped around a bar of the grating, and Horacio wasted no time in skillfully tying it in place. He kicked to the surface to get air and found that he was quite close to the platform where the doorway was.

It would be easier to tie the other tentacle to those bars, since they were above water. Horacio swam to the ledge and pulled himself up. Now that the beast was through trying to pull away from the grating underwater, it searched for Horacio. It took longer to find him this time, since he was back out of the water. When it finally happened, Horacio used the same technique to fasten the remaining vine to the bars of the gate.

The struggling plant strained against the two vines, then suddenly vanished underwater with a flourish of bubbles. The ends of the tentacles floated freely in the water, as if it had detached them in order to escape and grow new ones. Horacio looked back and forth from the long vine in his possession to the switch on the other side of the gate. Maybe it was his lucky day after all, despite the bloody flap of skin that now hung from his palm.

With much pain, he pulled in the other end of the vine, untied it from the bars, and then tied one end into a lasso. After a few tries of tossing it through the gap between bars, he landed it on the lever and wasted no time in giving it a sharp tug. The lever groaned towards him, and after a clacking, creaking sound, the gate was up. Now what was around the corner?

) () (

The heavy, wooden doors groaned and slammed shut behind Freid. He found himself in complete darkness, except for a ring of blue light at the far side of the room. There was no way to tell how big the room was; the darkness seemed to extend infinitely. Then again, he couldn't see the door behind him any more, so as far as he knew, he could be in a thin hallway. A voice came from the end of the room, where all the glowing mushrooms were.

"Who is it that enters my fine hall?"

"It is Freid, Sire," the Moblin said, now not so sure about this meeting. The voice was booming and harsh but well controlled.

"Wonderful! And you've found the boy?" The voice's tone had softened, and the pitch was higher.

"He fits the description exactly. I caught him in the woods east of here." Freid adjusted the heavy bag over his shoulder. The boy was still asleep inside it; Freid was amazed at how easily he had given in to the Fungistuls' magic. Maybe it was just the fact that humans were much weaker than Moblins.

"Come forward and present him to me at once!"

Freid was a little reluctant about walking toward the eerie glow, especially because it looked as though he was crossing a gigantic black chasm. Whoever belonged to the strange nasal voice was still hidden. Eventually he gave in and allowed his feet to carry him slowly towards the light. He had been promised a large reward for finding the boy; the Fungistuls would cleanse and drain his ancestors' city beneath the swamp.

The answer to how the mushrooms had the power to do so eluded him, but according to his ancestor's journal, the strange Fungistuls were the ones that turned the village into a swamp in the first place, using a medallion he had placed in their care. If they had the power to create a swamp, they could certainly take it away. His only worry was that they might not meet their promise.

Suddenly he was in the light. He froze in shock. A cluster of pale mushrooms formed a throne in front of him, where a small Fungistul was sitting. His color was exactly the same as the other mushrooms.

Freid lowered the bag to the floor and slipped the still unconscious boy out. There was a moment of silence as the Fungistul king leaned over, examined the body, and Freid examined the king's face, searching for a hint as to his thoughts. The mushroom had no expression. Then, he sat upright and looked directly into Freid's eyes.

"That's him. That's the one who stole my pearl."

4


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Fungistul City, year 506

"I say, it's a revolutionary power! The king will be very pleased!"

Gary sidled up against the rubbery wall, holding his shirt over his mouth to filter the heavily fungal air. There was a conversation going on between some small but important-looking mushroom-people around the corner. He wasn't sure what they were talking about, so he kept still and listened carefully. They might say something about Dad.

"With the discovery of this mirrored world, we'll be able to go anywhere! The Fungistuls will be invincible! And the power of this world is all contained in this tiny pearl; you can carry it anywhere," the same mushroom creature said.

"I'm not so sure he'll approve," said a second Fungistul. "He's always been peaceful. He will find no use for this so-called pearl of darkness."

Another one spoke up: "Trust us. He's thirstier for power than you know. You forget th' time, four hundr'd years ago, when 'e drove th' Moblins from our woods by floodin' ther village with swampy poison. Ol' King Mushi plans to attack th' humans' castle. Don'tcha understand? That's why we got that human locked in the vaults fer. Questionin'."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't, eh? Well, 'ear this. I caught a piece of 'is conversation. Th' king's askin' 'im questions all about their army. That guy's a soldier. He ain't sayin' nothing, though. I'm not too sure about how it'll all turn out, but I know one thing: Mushi's gonna attack."

Gary flinched. They were talking about his dad; he knew it. He knew it was probably best for Dad to keep quiet about Myrennia's army, but Gary sure hoped they weren't doing anything to him.

"He has no reason to attack them; your argument isn't convincing," said Fungistul number two.

The first Fungistul spoke again. "I say, have you been paying attention? He flooded the Moblins out for the very same reason he's doing this. He wants the humans out so we can expand past these woods. He wants power over all Myrennia. And I say we back him up! It's about time we left this musty old place."

"Aye."

"I think you're all crazy. Why do we need to drive people from their homes in order to be content? I don't care if you all go to war with the humans, I'm not supporting you."

"Then we'll 'ave to report you to th' king, eh?"

"I do say...looks like somebody will be thinking things over in the vaults."

"Get off me! You're all crazy!"

There was a muffled thump and then a light scraping against the stone floor. Soon all sound had faded away. Gary stood still, horrified. He had to get to King Laurence and warn him about the attack. But first, he had to find a way to free his dad. No way was he leaving without him.

Gary peeked around the corner; the feet of one of the Fungistuls were disappearing around the corner. He silently pushed away from the wall and followed them. They would lead him right to his father.

) () (

Horacio quietly watched the human-sized mushroom guards pace back and forth in the decrepit, overgrown courtyard. There was a pattern to how they walked; he knew it. If he could nail the pattern, he might be able to sneak across, given he timed it right. Maybe it was just their oversized heads, but they looked pretty smart to Horacio. He would have to be extra silent.

Whatever the strange creatures were, he was positive they weren't friendly. Why else would they trap him in such a deathly room? Hadn't Freid mentioned something about mushrooms when he was talking about the Fungistuls? He couldn't remember; he had been shaken up from the whole situation. Fungistuls were the only creatures he could think of, though.

There were two guards in the courtyard. They seemed to be walking in triangular paths, splitting the yard in half. Whenever one had his back turned, the other was facing in Horacio's direction. Several times Horacio flinched as the guard came close, but the tangle of vines draped over the wall had helped to conceal him.

There were a few possible exits. One was to climb up the vines and clamber over the top of the wall in hopes that nobody was there. There were also two doors in the courtyard, not counting the one he had come from. One door was on the opposite side; he quickly disposed of that option. The other door was set in the wall he was standing against. It was at about the same distance as the one he had come out of.

Now that he knew the guards' patterns, he realized how foolish he had been to dash from the door to the vines. He had been extremely lucky to make it without being seen. Somehow he was leaning toward climbing the vines, probably because there might be a solid roof he could run across and make it to the outside of this place.

But then he remembered. He was supposed to get the medallion. Was he in old Moblin temple? There was no way to know. Now that he knew that it was full of these creatures, he wasn't so sure he wanted to risk it for Link. There had to be some other way; maybe he could plan a surprise attack on Freid. That was just assuming he hadn't already gone off somewhere with Link.

That was it. Horacio decided he had to act fast; it was now or never. The vines proved to be strong and held fast when he tugged at them. When one guard passed by, Horacio gave him a whack over the head with his hands clasped. The soft cap gave way under his fists and the Fungistul collapsed to the floor. Horacio shot a glance through the vines at the other guard; he was still facing the other way.

There would be just enough time for him to pull himself over the wall. He climbed through the curtain and then leaped for a high handhold. The wound on his right hand stung fiercely; he bit his lip and struggled to pull himself to the ledge. The soft footsteps of the other guard suddenly quickened. He had been seen...it was too late. There was an explosive cacophony of noise and Horacio lost his grip. His head hit the stone floor with a smack, and everything went black instantly.

) () (

A blinding light penetrated Link's eyelids. He groaned and rolled on his side groggily, then suddenly shot upright in surprise, banging his head on the low ceiling. His pupils contracted and he squinted, trying to keep out the enormous amount of light. After several minutes of waiting, he gave up and closed his eyes from the intense glow. Instead, he felt around his surroundings with his hands.

Freezing, extremely hard, smooth rock was the only substance he could feel. The floor beneath him, the walls all around him, the ceiling a foot above his head...they were all the same. He shivered against the ice-like stone. It was quite a small chamber; it would be very uncomfortable had he been stuck with someone else. There was just enough room to adjust his position.

There was absolutely no sound other than the light sound of his tunic and skin rubbing against the stone. Even the mildewy scent of the Fungistuls was not present; there was such a freshness to the air that it made him slightly nauseous.

What worried Link was the lack of holes anywhere. Every inch of the flat, smooth rock was completely solid. _Was I buried alive? How long do I have left before my oxygen runs out? Why does it seem like I have so much air? Why is it so bright? Am I dead?_ Questions raced through his mind. He attempted to open his eyes, but with the same result as before. He might as well be dead.

Link rested for several minutes, allowing the light to seep through his eyelids, watching the bright orange display of veins twitch every now and then. There were several times he tried opening his eyes again, only to find that they had still not adjusted to the light. Then suddenly he was aware of something. A straight line, slightly bluish, across his vision. He hoped it wasn't something wrong with his eyes.

But then another one appeared, and another. Soon he could make out the edges of his prison. And before long, he could see most of his surroundings. He was so shocked that he was unable to gasp.

) () (

Fungistul Vaults, year 506

Gary peered around the corner, eager to get out of the cold, dripping tunnel. The two Fungistuls he had followed were still talking with the vault guard, trying to talk him into letting them pass. He glanced back down the bright tunnel, terrified at each drop of water that hit the ground. Somebody could come along at any time and all his efforts would be for naught.

It had been a long walk. The tunnel had been straight for a while and then branched into several hallways. Flat, shelf-like mushrooms jutted from the walls, and the floor was made up of hard mushroom caps that had been forced together. Freezing drops of water rained down every once in a while. If Gary's estimations were correct, the tunnel had actually taken them underneath the very lake in front of the castle. Now that the tunnels were getting higher, the dripping was less frequent, and the air was getting colder and colder, he assumed they were underneath the small snowy island in the middle.

The tunnel had been quite bright, since the very mushrooms making it up glowed. Up ahead, though, he could see there was a brighter source of light. At the rate those Fungistuls were talking, he would never find out where it was coming from.

"Aye, Bronce, we's come on behalfs of the king. Don't you try an' block me and Yale, or we'll report you, too!"

"Shut yer trap, Dale. You two ain't goin' nowhere but back where you came from," replied Bronce, the guard. "An' I recommend seein' a doc about both yur 'eads."

"I say, I've never seen so many of our own kind act so stupidly! Neither of us are crazy. King Mushi will have YOUR head for keeping us from doing his work. We're reporting you immediately!" Yale shouted at the top of his lungs.

"You do that, eh? See where that gets you, idiots!" Bronce said, raising his voice slightly.

Gary panicked as Yale and Dale whirled around and strutted back toward the tunnel, dragging the limp Fungistul from earlier. There was nowhere to go but back down the tunnel, and fast. He dashed around the corner and dodged into a side passageway; no looking back.

) () (

Link marveled at how long he had been in the crystal chamber without suffocating. Either there was some hidden air hole or he hadn't been in there as long as it seemed. There was clear pale blue as far as the eye could see. Somehow he was in a perfectly carved rectangular space surrounded by endless glowing crystal, or so it seemed. It still felt like subzero temperatures.

He pounded on the glassy ceiling and yelled, but the sound only rang back into his ears, louder. He lay still. It was like being suspended in empty space. Nobody was there to see or hear him. Nobody was there to get him out.

What had happened to Horacio and Tael? Maybe the whole thing about the temple deep in the swamp was a lie. Maybe there was no temple, no medallion. Horacio was probably wandering around in the swamp right now, or worse. As for Tael, there was no saying where the fairy had gotten to.

Link rolled on his side, pressing his cheek against the cold floor. He felt numb all over, but he was still breathing fine. Suddenly he held his breath. There was a faint pulsating sound vibrating through the crystal, slightly slower than his thumping heart. It got louder and louder until he was sure he wasn't just hearing things.

Then something moved across his vision. Directly below him, a blurred, faded Fungistul passed. He was but two yards from the mushroom's head. The creature stopped on the other side of Link's chamber and then his thin mouth parted to say something.

Link's feet started to sink, and then the rest of his body followed. It felt like being sucked into a pool of quicksand that was thawing from just having been frozen. Before he knew what was going on, he dropped the rest of the way to the Fungistul's feet, giving himself a small cut on his lower lip and a bruise on his chin as he whacked his jaw against the hard floor.

Above him, the ceiling seemed to reform into a smooth, perfectly straight surface. Link stared in wonder down the literally crystal-clear hallway, then up at the slightly purplish Fungistul.

"Come with me. You're goin' before King Mushi."

5


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Horacio awoke to find the droning, meaningless mix of sounds still at high volume. The back of his head throbbed painfully, and it took him a full minute to register his surroundings. Tael, the purple fairy, was frantically trying to wake him out of his stupor. He seemed to be yelling something, but Horacio couldn't hear it through the blaring noise.

Finally he discovered the existence of the rest of his body and pushed himself into an upright position, rubbing the back of his head. His hand came back smeared with blood. Somehow its bright color brought Horacio completely back into reality.

"I said COME ON!" Horacio could barely hear the young fairy's screams. He spun around to find several Fungistuls entering the courtyard.

Horacio jumped up and scrambled to the nearest door. Tael shot into the hallway after him, oblivious to the fact that they were heading right back into Horacio's original cell. They were already around the last corner of the hallway before Horacio realized his mistake.

"Turn around! Hurry!" Horacio caught Tael in midair and thrust him in the opposite direction. It was too late. Three dull red Fungistuls burst around the corner and rammed into Horacio, knocking him backwards to the other side of the gate. Before he could get up, the bars slammed into the floor, sending small chips of rock flipping into the air.

One Fungistul grabbed the remains of the swamp flower's vine that Horacio had used as a lasso. He tugged it through the bars and wound it around one hand, snickering; the thorns didn't seem to bother him. After nodding to the other two, he left back down the passageway. The other two stuck around. _Great,_ Horacio thought, _we have guards now._

"Um, you can let me go now," Tael squeaked from Horacio's hand after the alarm was turned off.

"Sorry," Horacio quickly released his clutch on the fairy to find that the skin on his hand looked perfectly fine and didn't hurt a bit anymore. "You can heal?"

"What?" Tael asked, fluttering his wings to get the kinks out.

"My palm. It was all torn up. Did you heal it?"

"You mean that one?" Tael winced, pointing to Horacio's other hand. Horacio turned his head and realized he had been looking at his left hand. His right hand still suffered from the huge gash, but it just felt numb now.

"Oh. Never mind," he said, turning away. "I forgot which hand it was for a minute."

"Don't worry about it. Sorry, but I can't help," Tael admitted.

Suddenly there was a metallic tapping noise coming from down below the balcony. Horacio turned around, but the guards seemed to be too busy chatting in some strange language to notice anything. He peered over the edge of the balcony and saw a flash of movement behind the grating underneath the ledge. Tael looked at him questioningly, and Horacio put a finger to his lips. The tapping sound returned, a little louder this time. One of the guards turned to look and then went back to his conversation.

"I'll see what that is," Horacio whispered to Tael. Horacio descended down the mushroom steps casually, his ears perked to notice any shift in the Fungistuls' conversation. Tael followed close behind. As they came closer to the bottom, the inside of the drainage tunnel became visible. A blond boy wearing a green tunic stood waist-deep just behind the grating.

"Guys! Hurry up!" Link hissed through the bars as loudly as he could without the guards hearing. "This tunnel leads outside."

"Link! How'd you get away from Freid?" Tael asked, though he didn't really care as long as he knew Link was safe. "I was so worried when he took you off somewhere! Is this where he took you?"

"Escape now, talk later. Come on," Link whispered. With the combined force of Horacio pulling and Link pushing on the grating after Tael had unscrewed it, they wrenched it free. They all crowded into the small passageway, set the grating back in its original position, and then trudged through the sludge into the dark depths of the sewers.

) () (

Fungistul Vaults, year 506

Gary skidded to a halt and hid against the wall of the corner he had just gone around. A minute passed and there were no sounds other than the constant dripping of water and the heavy thumping of his heart. He was satisfied nobody was following him, so he turned to the hallway ahead of him again. His foot froze in midair. The tunnel widened into a dome-shaped room just ahead. In the center was a cylindrical stone pedestal illuminated by a shaft of light that shone down from a hole in the ceiling.

Floating in the center of the shaft of light was a tiny, dark purple bead of some sort. No one seemed to be around, so Gary cautiously crept up to the pedestal to examine the object. The bead looked slightly translucent, shiny, and was about the size of a marble, if not slightly smaller. Could this be the pearl the Fungistuls were talking about earlier?

Why weren't there any guards? The Fungistuls' biggest weapon, just floating around freely like this? This was his chance to destroy it and keep the war from even happening! Without a second thought, he thrust his hand out and grabbed the pearl from the air. Instantly there was an enormous blaring noise filling the air. There was an alarm; he should have known!

Gary's legs propelled his body through the tunnels even faster than when he had come from the opposite direction. It was too late. The entrance to the tunnel was completely blocked by two gigantic Fungistuls standing in his way. As Gary slipped and fell backwards, the Fungistuls slowly advanced toward him. There was no way out. Without fully realizing what he was doing, he quickly popped the pearl into his mouth and swallowed.

) () (

Link had decided not to mess with the Fungistuls; who knew what they were capable of? The crystal chamber was enough to make him more than worried. His only choice was to helplessly follow the purple Fungistul up winding stairs and then to another flat area with a soft, rubbery floor. It was so dark compared to the crystal that he could only stumble along behind the Fungistul blindly. He could hear muffled laughter on either side. It sounded like some kind of audience.

Suddenly he ran straight into the back of the Fungistul. The laughter's volume rose for a few seconds and then continued in short spurts when Link stood still, wondering what was going on. Then a booming voice echoed through the room, saying a single word in some unfamiliar language. The audience went silent. Link stood awkwardly for a few more seconds, and then the voice spoke again.

"Sit," it said.

_Where?_ Link felt around behind him for a chair in the blackness, blushing as the laughter slowly grew back. The loud voice said a few more words in the other language and the audience stopped again.

"The floor will be fine," said the voice.

"I'd prefer to stand, thank you," Link said, surprised at how loud his voice was amplified in the room. There was a low murmur throughout the audience all around him.

"Do you realize who you are speaking to, peasant?" The booming voice spoke again, this time showing more anger. The audience was silent to hear Link's reaction. He winced inside, trying not to show it on the outside. How could he be so stupid? This was obviously the Fungistul king, Mushi.

"I'm sorry, sire. I can't see," Link replied.

"Now SIT!" King Mushi demanded. Link obeyed this time. "We are gathered here today to decide what is to be done with this boy. For those who do not know, he has stolen our newest Pearl of Darkness. He is obviously a spy sent by the humans to gather information on our long-awaited attack."

Link sat silently. He didn't know what was going on, but he may find out some valuable information if he listened. As for stealing the pearl, he could only assume Dark Link had gotten here first. The Fungistuls probably mistook Link to be him.

"I demand an answer from you. Where have you hidden the pearl?" Mushi practically screamed.

"I don't have it, sire," Link answered truthfully. The crowd began murmuring again.

"Silence," the king yelled at the audience and then addressed Link again. "Ninety-nine years ago, our first pearl was stolen by a young man only about five years older than you. We never found him. For years, we waited for the humans to attack. They never did. Now you are trying to steal it again. I demand to know why and where you have hidden it."

"I don't have it anymore," Link said again. That wouldn't get him anywhere. Maybe if he diverted the attention to someone else, he could get away. "Freid took it from me, sire."

) () (

Dark Link paused, holding Horacio and Tael back. This was it. They had reached the branch where he would lead them the wrong way and close them in. Now that he held the Pearl of Darkness, he was able to freely move between the two worlds, rather than remain stuck in between. This way, he could look and sound exactly like Link or he could disappear into a shadow on the ground. He stood still for a moment.

"Link, what are you doing? Do you remember which way leads out?" Tael asked.

"Uhh, yeah, it's this way," Dark Link said, pointing down the darker tunnel.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?" Horacio asked, pushing past him and heading straight down the dark tunnel. Dark hadn't been expecting it to be this easy.

_They trust him,_ he thought. _Even when he tells them the wrong thing, they don't even question him. So this is what it feels like to have friends._ He stood in the muck, watching them enter the passageway.

"Aren't you coming?" Tael asked, turning back to look at Dark Link.

"Wait...the exit...I just remembered; it's this way," Dark said, heading into the other tunnel. Horacio and Tael looked at each other for a few seconds and then followed him.

_Whatever these three have between them...it's better than what I have. Why does it feel so good to lead them outside? What am I even thinking? I wasn't created to feel anything. I must be losing it..._

Soon enough, the trio rounded a corner to find light streaming in through a grating at the end of the tunnel. Through it they could see the swamp. Dark Link and Horacio pushed the grating off and then the three looked up to make sure no Fungistuls were in sight. The grating was at the base of a sloped wall of the old Moblin temple, which was now Fungistul property.

"Watch out, the ground drops out right here. If we crawl along this wall, we'll come around to some docks. We can use a boat there to escape," Dark Link said.

"Sounds like you've looked around a lot," Horacio said.

"It took a while to find your cell. I passed the docks on the way," Dark Link replied and then motioned for the two to follow him. Suddenly something snapped inside him. He shouldn't be helping them! He was trying to kill Link! Why was he helping Link's friends?

Horacio stared at Dark Link's strange expression for a few seconds. Without warning, Dark Link dove into the swamp. There wasn't even a splash; he had moved into the dark world before he hit the water. Horacio and Tael gawked at the shadow on the surface of the water moving away from the temple.

"Was that just - " Tael began.

"Then Link is still captive. Hurry, Tael. We're getting out of here," Horacio said, his face turning a chalky white color. He stumbled across the sloped wall of the temple in the direction Dark Link had indicated. Tael followed.

"Why do you think he helped us?" Tael asked quietly.

"I don't know. He must be planning to do something with us. He's not a real person; he can't have real emotions," Horacio replied.

"You saw his face. I think he's changing somehow; breaking away from Ganon's hold. I just wonder how he could develop emotions when he wasn't even created with any except hate."

"I don't know, Tael. Let's just get out of here, and fast. Link still needs our help."

5


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Fungistul Vaults, year 506

Fragh quickly lifted an iron bar and brought it down in an arc on the boy's head. The human was completely senseless in an instant. So the humans wanted the Pearl of Darkness? Well, they wouldn't get it. Fragh had personally overseen the pearl's experiments; he wasn't about to let years of work escape. Besides, King Mushi would undoubtedly have severe punishments waiting if he let the pearl get away.

"Think he's out?" Kantei nudged the body with his foot.

"Nah. Let's give him another for good measure," Fragh snickered. He brought the rod down on the human's skull again, this time sending a resounding crack through the air. The two Fungistuls burst into laughter and Kantei patted Fragh on the back.

"I'll go lock him up. We can wait for the pearl to come out the natural way. Anyway, we can use him as a lesson for the other humans," Kantei said, winking.

"All right. I'll go report to the king. I suppose I'll tell him the attack will have to wait. Let me know when the pearl shows up," Fragh said. The two Fungistuls laughed again and then went their separate ways.

Down the hall, another human rested his sore body from being electrocuted. Recently his tortures had been getting steadily worse. First the mushroom creatures had just twisted his arms backwards harder and harder until it felt like they would break. When that didn't work, they had tried forcing sharp metal shards under his fingernails, tearing skin apart and causing an awful burning sensation.

Now they were trying electrocution. Every once in a while, he felt a strange tingling throughout his body, and the crystal around him seemed to flicker. A voice echoed through the crystal, asking him various questions about the human army. If he didn't reply, the tingling grew into an itching, burning, startling feeling. Every day it got worse; he could actually feel the strange energy zapping through him and sapping his energy.

Little did he know that his son was being dragged by just a few yards below his aching back. He was too busy trying to sleep to pay any attention to footsteps anymore. It may have been a good thing that he didn't notice Gary's presence; he would never see his son again.

) () (

As Link's eyes finally adjusted to the dark atmosphere, he soaked in his surroundings. While the crowd was waiting for Freid to be brought into the courtroom, the only thing Link could do was analyze the room to see if there were any possible escape exits. So far, he could only see two ways in and out. The room was a long oval shape with double doors at each end. The audience sat against one long side while the king sat on a high mushroom seat in the middle of the other side.

The room was made completely out of dark blue mushrooms, glowing with a blackish light. Although the floor was mostly sealed by the caps of the fungus, the walls and ceiling had many open spaces, behind which nothing could be seen except blackness. If he could slip through one of the openings, he might be able to escape somewhere. He examined the floor around him. One crack nearby looked like it could be wedged open a little more.

If he waited for the right time, he might be able to slide through. He would have to do it when everyone's attention was on Freid. Speaking of Freid, Link thought he could hear something on the other side of one of the doors. He could tell it was someone yelling, but he couldn't understand the language. The doors swung open and several strong Fungistuls dragged the struggling, cursing Freid into the room.

) () (

"You promised me you would take away the swamp! What have I done wrong? I brought you the boy who stole your pearl!" Freid yelled in the Fungistul language.

"You may have brought him, but you didn't bring the pearl with him. When I asked for the boy, I expected him to have the pearl. He didn't," said King Mushi calmly.

"And you're blaming me? I never stole it from him! He probably buried it somewhere!"

"That's quite possible. But it's not definite. You're as big a suspect as he is now," Mushi replied.

"What made you suddenly change your mind like that?" Freid shouted.

"He told us you took it from him," Mushi answered, motioning to the floor on the other side of the room. Freid stared for a few seconds.

"Who?"

The boy had disappeared. There was a low murmur throughout the audience, and King Mushi had to silence them yet again.

"Guards? Scour this place! I want the boy brought back immediately! And keep watching the Moblin too! If you let either of them go you will be punished severely!"

) () (

Link clutched the cold, rubbery stalk of the mushroom he was hiding under. Beneath him he could see nothing; the stalks disappeared into blackness. Spores wafted down on top of him as the Fungistuls walked all over the floor, searching for him. He struggled not to sneeze, though it probably wouldn't give him away with all the commotion the audience was making.

Carefully he reached out for another stalk. With a quick push, he launched himself away and squeezed the new mushroom, sliding down a couple inches. He shinnied back up a little and then repeated his motions, trying to find his way out of the endless forest-like room. Finally he thought he saw a wall through the darkness. After a few more jumps, he could see it around the stalks. A stone cliff ran up to the ceiling and disappeared into the blackness below.

The sound of the audience had quieted, so he hoped that he had passed underneath the wall of that room. If he came up through the floor underneath somebody, it would be disastrous. Finally he came close enough to touch the wall. It was relatively rough, but not quite natural-feeling. There were no places to grab or step, so he relied on the mushroom stalks to get him back up. Hopefully he would be able to climb around the edge of the cap.

After craning his neck to see through the small cracks, he decided to try it. If any Fungistuls were there, he couldn't see them. He put his back against the stone wall with his feet pressed hard against the nearest mushroom stalk. By carefully moving his legs and sliding his back upwards, he was able to get his hands around the edge of the cap of the mushroom.

_Now what?_ Link thought. He shifted his position a few times, trying to figure out what action he should take next. He shuffled upwards a little more until his head was against the underside of the mushroom. Suddenly his feet slipped off the stalk and he gripped the mushroom cap as if his life depended on it...because it did.

Luckily he was able to reposition his feet. One rested on the stalk again, and the other one rested on the wall. There was enough friction to hold him in place, but he didn't trust it with his whole weight. Helping himself up with his arms and legs, he wedged himself between the cap and the rock. As he rolled onto the solid stone floor panting, he realized that it was quiet. Link looked around to find that he was now in a stone hallway. Wooden double doors rested behind him. Ahead the tunnel curved out of view.

Link crept toward the corner cautiously, but nobody was there. He would have to get out of there before someone came through those doors. If he were caught again, it probably wouldn't be a pleasant stay.

) () (

Fungistul Vaults, year 506

Gary awoke to a harsh, throbbing pain on the left side of his head. He opened his eyes to a blinding light, which only made the pain worse. Clenching his teeth and eyes shut, he reached up to feel his head. Some of his hair was stuck together with crusted blood. What had happened?

_I swallowed the pearl...what happened next? There was a flash of black...I think I was knocked out. But was it really that hard? I wonder how long it's been. Do I still have the pearl?_

As he felt around his surroundings, his confusion was just replaced with hatred. He was completely enclosed in freezing, diamond-hard rock.

_They've locked me up. Did they do the same thing to my father? How could they be so heartless? I'm going to suffocate in here!_

"Let me out, sporeheads!" Gary yelled at the top of his lungs, pounding against the crystal ceiling. "You can have your precious bead back!" He knew, however, that it was just a waste of what oxygen he had left, and it hurt his head even more. Suddenly, as if in response to his cry, there was a strange, wavering static noise in his ears. He opened his eyes to see that the light was slowly fading away. His fingers started turning transparent.

Before he knew what was happening, he had fallen hard on the floor of a stone hallway, illuminated by torches burning with a green flame. It was unnaturally dark, and there was an eerie cloudy film over his eyes. Then he realized that he couldn't even see himself. His body was completely invisible but for the shadow cast across the floor by the green fire.

_What's happening to me? Is this some kind of trick? I couldn't just escape like this!_

But the longer he lay there, the situation felt more realistic than ever. His head throbbed all the more, and now he was feeling pain everywhere else from the fall. Carefully he stood up, wary of any traps. Maybe he could find his dad and both of them could escape and warn King Laurence. Then again, without the pearl, the Fungistuls might not be as much of a threat.

_That's it! The pearl is helping me! One of the sporeheads said something about a mirrored world. Maybe I'm in it right now! I'll sneak out of here and give the pearl to King Laurence. Before I do anything, though, I need to find where they're keeping my dad._

Gary crept down the hallway, pleased with his new discovery.

) () (

Tael and Horacio found Freid's cabin still unoccupied. However, there had certainly been a struggle in there since the two had left. Furniture was strewn across the floor, and most of it was broken. Horacio found several blood stains on the floor and on the ruined furniture.

"They're still relatively fresh. What do you think, Tael?" Horacio asked, looking over the scene.

Tael was speechless. Whose blood was that? It wasn't much, but the victim's death was a possibility. What if it had been Link? What if Freid brought him back to finish him off for some reason? Was he lying in wait somewhere for the two to come out? The thought made him all jumpy but frozen in horror at the same time.

"Tael! Snap out of it! Do you remember which way Freid went?" Horacio asked urgently.

"What? No. He knocked me out before he left."

"Well, that makes sense. Too bad he didn't knock you out after he left."

Tael forced a smile. Horacio grinned at him. He then turned and exited through the crooked door. Tael quickly followed him. If Link was still alive, they needed to find him. He probably needed help.

"So, which way do you think he probably went?" Tael asked Horacio, who was examining the porch and the area around it. There were wooden stairs leading up into the treetops nearby, and Horacio decided on climbing them to have a look around.

"The catwalk would be the best place to start; either he used it or he went below. We should be able to see a good portion of the land below, and if we need to, we can drop down there. Come on, we should hurry. I won't be able to forgive myself if we don't find him," Horacio said, dashing up the steps three at a time. Tael flew after him, panting.

) () (

Fungistul Vaults, year 506

Gary found the dark stone passageway to be quite long and uninterrupted. If there were any doorways or other openings in the real world, there sure weren't any here. Hopefully this wasn't some kind of experiment in which the sporeheads would see how long he would walk in a circle.

_Then again, it actually looks slightly curved,_ he thought. Quickly he took a loose fragment of stone from the ground and scratched a diamond shape at eye level on the right wall. If he were going in circles, maybe this would help him know for sure. He took another look at the strange green torches all around him and then started walking down the hallway again. Suddenly he stopped.

There was someone coming around the corner. Before he could run, he was in full view. It was then that he recognized the person.

"Palter!" Gary shouted, running to embrace his older brother. Palter froze in place, searching the hallway frantically. His face went into shock as Gary grabbed him. Palter struggled out of his grip and stood at a distance.

"Who's there?" Palter called quietly. Gary stared at him for a few seconds and then remembered. He was invisible.

"It's Gary! I think I'm stuck in this tunnel but I don't know for sure. I have a shadow, but I can't even see myself. What's it look like where you are?" Gary asked. He could tell Palter recognized his voice.

"You don't even have a shadow. I'm surrounded by light, so I don't think there are any shadows. It's some kind of crystal place. Why? Are you somewhere different?" Palter said.

"Then I was right. I'm stuck in this crazy dark tunnel with green fire, and I think it goes around in a circle but I can't get out. I'm pretty sure it's the work of this pearl I ate."

"You ate a pearl?" Palter asked in confusion.

"I'll explain later. Right now I need to get out of this tunnel and save Dad."

"Gary...that's what I came in here for. You're not going to find him. Please, come back with me. You'll just get caught," Palter pleaded.

"No! I got caught already and I escaped! The pearl helped me! Now I can help Dad get out! You can't stop me!" Gary yelled, trying to get around Palter.

Palter must have sensed that Gary's voice was moving. He quickly moved and grabbed Gary's shoulder and then slid his hand down to keep hold of his elbow. Being stronger than Gary, he was able to keep him pinned against the wall.

"Let me go!" Gary shouted angrily, trying to break out of his enclosure. His brother was way too strong; he couldn't budge the muscular arms.

"Quiet! We're not the only ones down here! Now calm down and listen! Even if Dad were still alive, which is really unlikely, how do you expect to search this whole place for him?" Palter whispered.

"You did it to find me," Gary argued.

"That's different. I knew you were here. We don't know he's in here anywhere, and we don't know he's still alive. We're going back."

"You just don't like Dad," Gary mumbled quietly.

"What are you talking about? I loved Dad! Stop blaming everyone else! He would want you to go back home and be safe. There's no point in killing yourself just to find him when he's already gone."

Gary was silent. Luckily Palter couldn't see his face. He had nothing to say, but he didn't want Palter to know he was actually thinking about his brother's words. Maybe Palter was right. Maybe he was being foolish. If he went with Palter, though, he would look weak.

Palter waited patiently for Gary to respond.

6


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

After Link climbed a flight of stairs, he found more sturdy double doors, this time made of stone. A softly glowing mushroom sprouted from each wall to light the staircase. Link had to pull a stone rod from its resting place across the two doors in order to open them. Sunlight flooded in, and he was surprised to find himself out in the forest. He had escaped!

The instant he stepped onto the soft, mossy earth, the doors swung shut behind them. Spinning around, he found a smooth stone cliff. There was no sign of any seam.

_Wow,_ Link thought. _Their technology is way better than anyone else's. Of course they had to use it to make that stupid pearl. If the humans befriended them, we'd gain a lot. It's too bad they're all going against each other. It's just the same thing as with the Moblins._

After soaking in his surroundings, he decided he must be a fair distance from the city. The tunnel had probably spanned the gap over the big pit around the central mushroom. Hopefully he wasn't out too far, where all those giant insects were. The best thing for him to do was look for the high bridge Freid had taken him across, try to find a way up to it, and go back to the swamp looking for Tael and Horacio.

_I sure hope they're okay. I don't want to go trudging through the whole swamp searching for them._

Just around the corner of the cliff, he found large notches carved into the wall, one above another. He looked up the strange ladder and smiled. It led to the top of the giant boulder that formed the cliff. From there a rope ladder led up to the wooden catwalk. He started climbing the rock face. Before he was halfway up, he heard someone call his name.

"Link! Up here!" Horacio yelled, and Tael hovered down from the catwalk to Link's level.

"You're okay!" Link and Tael both said at the same time. Tael laughed.

"You honestly thought I was dead or lost or something," the fairy giggled. "It's you who were knocked out and carried across the forest. What happened? Tell us everything!"

"Hold on there, Tael. Link, hurry and climb up here. We need to exchange information, I can tell," Horacio called, leaning over the edge of the bridge. Link nodded and quickened his pace. Soon he pulled himself onto the wooden catwalk. The three sat in a sort of triangle, each ready to hear the other's story.

"I'll start," Horacio said. "After I left the cabin..." Suddenly he put on a blank expression.

"Horacio? Something wrong?" Tael asked, turning where Horacio was looking in case there was something there. There were only mushrooms.

"I forgot how I got into the cell," Horacio muttered, staring into space.

"Well, that's not important. Just hurry on with the story," Tael quickly said.

"You got put in a cell too?" Link asked, leaning forward.

"Yeah. It was a nasty place, full of swamp water. I was locked in, but there was a lever on the wall. I pulled it and then had to get rid of this angry swamp flower."

"You fought an angry flower?" Link said, biting his lip to avoid laughing.

"It was a big monster!" Horacio said, trying to defend himself. "Anyway, I escaped and found myself in the middle of some kind of temple with walking mushrooms. I was about to get out but they spotted me, and Tael came by just then. We tried to run away, but I just went right back into my first cell. Then comes the weird part."

"What? How'd you get out?" Link asked.

"Dark Link helped us out."

"Whaat? You're joking. He couldn't have!" Link argued.

"No, I'm serious. He looked just like you, and he led us out through the sewers. After that, he got this weird look on his face, dove into the swamp, and turned into a shadow before he hit the water. We watched the shadow float away. I'm dead serious," Horacio said with a convincing face.

"Well...actually, it's starting to make sense now," Link said. "I think I believe you. Listen to this. When you left, Freid knocked me out and carried me across the forest, right?"

"Right," Tael jumped in. "And he knocked me out too so I couldn't follow you."

"Well, guess where he took me?"

"Beats me. Was it still in the forest?" Horacio asked.

"It was. He took me to the Fungistul city. Remember, he had talked about them earlier saying they were all dangerous and whatnot? Well, he took me right into the middle of their city! I think I fell asleep, but then I woke up in this crazy crystal box that I couldn't get out of," Link said.

"Wow. Then how'd you get out?" Tael asked.

"I don't know how long I waited, but a Fungistul came by and the floor kind of melted for me to sink through. He took me to this really dark courtroom where the king asked me why I took the Pearl of Darkness," Link said.

"Dark Link took it and framed you!" Tael shouted. "Then he came to the temple and let us out...but we still don't know why."

"Exactly," Link said. "Anyway, I found out that the pearl Dark Link stole apparently wasn't the first one! Sixty-some years ago, a teenager stole their old one. They expected the humans to attack with it, but they never did. They made a new one, and now that's been stolen by Dark."

"So if that guy is still alive, he'd be in his seventies or eighties, right?" Tael asked.

"Umm...yeah, probably. Why?" Link said.

"Just thinking. So how'd you get out?"

"Well, I blamed Freid for taking it from me, and while he was arguing with the king I slipped under the floor and got away. It's weirder than it sounds, because there was nothing under the floor but mushroom stalks. I had to jump from - "

"Okay, Link, that's enough," Tael said. "Come on, I know where we're going next."

"Where?" Horacio asked.

"Hayen Village."

) () (

Hayen Village, year 506

Gary trudged after his older brother Palter. On their journey back home, he had gone behind a tree to do his business and suddenly the dead, shadowy, forest blossomed and grew back into the normal, bright, sunlight, colorful forest he knew. Sure enough, he found the pearl in his feces after poking through with a stick. He had shouted for Palter and then showed him the cleaned-off pearl.

Palter had shaken his head, laughed, and then tousled his younger brother's hair. He hadn't said anything about it. Gary wondered what should be done. Would it be best to give it to the king and let him make the decision? Now that the sporeheads didn't have it anymore, maybe it wasn't needed. He could keep it for himself. That is, if Palter or his mom didn't force him to give it up.

The trees parted and the two found themselves standing at the edge of Hayen Village. Gary glanced back into the forest. For a few seconds he stood there, his eyes starting to water, and then he pulled himself away from the trees and followed his older brother home. It was no use searching for Dad; he was probably dead like Palter had said. And after Palter had brought up the subject of what Dad would want them to do, he had to give in.

"Palter! Garod! You had me worried sick! Where on earth were you?" Gary's mom screeched, rushing out the door of their house to embrace the two brothers.

"Mom, you know I hate being called that," Gary's muffled voice said through his mom's shoulder.

"Oh, nonsense. We named you Garod and that's what I'll call you! Now both of you hurry inside! I want you to tell me how your camping trip went!"

Gary looked over at Palter as they walked toward the house. The older winked when their mom wasn't looking. They wouldn't tell about the little incident with the sporeheads. It was just a normal camping trip in the woods and they lost track of time, that was all.

) () (

King Mushi was furious. Anyone foolish enough to get within sight of him was knocked out of the way harshly. The boy suspect was nowhere to be found. The guards had lost him. Such brainless soldiers! Every day he was amazed at their stupidity. Was it that hard to obey his orders?

He slammed his fist down on the armrest of his throne. The door at the far end of the dark room slowly creaked open, and a shaky guard poked his head through.

"Y-yes, Your M-Majesty?"

"I want all the troops mobilized. We've had enough. Tomorrow morning we march for Myrennia Castle. Get the Moblin ready for battle. He may be a thief, but he should be useful. Call in all able-bodied Fungistuls from the old temple, too. The humans have gone too far, and I'll see to it they are properly punished. I'll give further orders tomorrow."

"Y-yes, Y-Your Honor," the guard said quickly, slipping back through the door. He let out the breath he had been holding. Everything was okay. But now he had a job to do. He scurried off down the hall to carry out his king's orders.

) () (

Garod opened his door to find two dark figures standing side by side with dark looks on their faces. One of them was Link, but he didn't recognize the man. He was so surprised that he didn't say anything as the two forced their way through the doorway into his home. Tael, the fairy, flew in after them.

"We're not leaving here until you tell us exactly why you lied," Link said sternly and quite loudly, his eyes boring holes through Garod's skull. How did he find out? Surely he wouldn't kill an old man!

"Don't kill me! You have to understand! I was threatened! If I hadn't told you everything that I did, your clone was going to kill me!" Garod cowered under Link's stare.

Link glanced at the man who had come with him, and the two pulled three chairs up to the table in the middle of the room. Link motioned for Garod to sit, and the old man obeyed.

"Do you still have the pearl?" Link asked, leaning forward over the table. His face was still strictly business and no jokes.

"How did you..." Garod stumbled, choking. Link's gaze brought the words out of him. "I still have it. Look, I tried to make you stay and rest here for a while, but you insisted on going out there!"

"That's because you told me it was the only way! Now Dark Link has the new pearl, and you sent us on a wild goose chase that almost killed us several times! We found out that you stole the original Pearl of Darkness from the Fungistuls sixty years ago. Since then, they've made a new one. Dark Link stole it to frame me, and now we don't know where he is. I need you to tell me where the pearl is so I can save my friends," Link said coldly.

"It was sixty-nine years ago," Garod said, and tears filled his eyes. He had tried to forget about that day his whole life. Just when he thought he had gotten rid of the memories, they had been forcefully dug up. He used to imagine what would've happened if he hadn't listened to his brother and stayed to save their father. Every day he would blame himself. And now, he had almost caused a young person to die just because he was too weak to face death at such an old age.

"Look, I don't know what you're thinking about, but we need the pearl now," the man interrupted Garod's thoughts. "We're not going to kill you; just show us where it is."

Suddenly Garod felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He slapped at it, cursing the insects. There was some kind of thin tube lodged in his neck. His eyes widened.

"Help me...I'm...being..." Garod's eyes closed and his head thumped to the table, senseless. Link, Tael and Horacio stared for a few seconds. Tael started going berserk.

"Link, help him! Do something! There's something in his neck!" Tael screamed, shooting around the room frantically.

"Garod! Wake up! Can you hear me?" Link shouted, slipping the dart from the back of Garod's neck and lifting his head. The old man's eyes were rolled back and motionless. "Is he dead? Horacio, is he dead? Hurry, look at him!"

Horacio hurriedly put two fingers against Garod's neck. There was still a faint pulse, but the man wasn't breathing. He reached for the dart Link had thrown away. It was a tiny sea urchin needle with a tuft of animal fur attached to one end. Horacio touched the end of the needle to his tongue and then spat.

"It's poisoned. I can't tell what kind it is, though, so I don't know if there's a cure or not," he said.

"Hurry! We need to get him to the doctor!" Tael screeched. "Link! Horacio! Pick him up! I'll take the dart!" Tael was stopped in his tracks as a hand flashed out of the shadows of the room and smacked him to the floor.

"You're not going anywhere except against the wall. Both of you, get back. Link, stand up."

Link stared in horror as an exact replica of himself emerged from the corner, holding a freshly sharpened blade outstretched in front of him. Horacio and Tael remained where they were. Garod slept away precious minutes of what life he had left.

"Step aside. This is Link's fight, not yours. You're just going to get killed if you stand in the way," Dark Link said calmly to Horacio and Tael.

"We're not leaving him! You'll have to cut through us before you cut through him!" Tael shouted.

"That's encouraging," Link muttered.

"Enough," Dark said, narrowing his eyes. He raised his sword. "If you all want to die, so be it."

5


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Link charged at his twin. The two met in a frenzy of spinning blades. Sounds of clanking swords, panting, and thumping of feet filled the small room. Tael and Horacio couldn't even distinguish the difference between the two; for one thing, they looked exactly alike, and for another thing, they were whirling about the room like twisters.

"Horacio! Tael! Get out of here! Garod needs the doctor!" Link's voice quickly spat from the whirlwind.

"Don't listen to him! It's Dark!" Link's voice came again, sounding exactly the same. "He's going to do something!"

"I'm the real one! Hurry, get him out of here! I'll be fine!"

Horacio and Tael stared at each other. They couldn't intervene in any way; neither of them knew which one to attack. Dark Link had removed his cap since the incident with the poisoned stew, so the two were identical. The only thing they could do was get Garod out of there. Whether or not the real Link had suggested it, it sounded like the best thing they could do.

Waiting for the right moment, Horacio leapt across the room after Link and Dark Link had passed. Tael grabbed the dart and flew for the door. Horacio took longer pulling Garod out of the chair and getting a good grip on the limp body. After he stumbled to the door, he gave it a good push and Tael shot through the crack like a missile.

"Don't do it! I'm Link! Horacio!"

The door quickly slammed shut with a bang.

_They don't know who I am,_ Link thought. _I'll bet Dark Link just wanted them out of the way so we'd be alone._

A sudden sting on his right shoulder brought him back to the fight. Dark had given him a quick slice across the shoulder while he had lost focus. Wincing at the burning sensation every time he moved, he did his best to parry Dark's attacks. Link brought his sword down in an arc, barely missing Dark's cheek.

"You'd get mauled by a dummy," Dark mocked.

"You're saying you're worse than a dummy?" Link shot back as he blocked a high swing from Dark Link. In the brief pause Dark made while realizing what he'd just said, Link dealt him a blow with the butt of his sword under the chin. Dark smiled savagely and did a quick roll around Link's legs. Link turned around and jumped backwards to avoid Dark Link's blade, which spiraled through the air as he spun. Link jumped at his dazed twin, sword outstretched. Dark stopped him with his shield, and the two stood still, facing each other.

"I won't leave until you let the fairy go!" Link yelled. "I don't care how much knowledge you have, and I don't care how many sword moves you know. There's one thing you'll never learn, and that's love. You could never understand the way people feel. You just react to your environment the way you were designed. There's no emotion involved. Not even hate. You feel nothing. If you had any compassion, you would understand. People just don't kill people for no reason."

"You know the nice thing about having no emotion? I don't care if people kill each other for no reason. Stop blabbering and save your energy for fighting," Dark spat out.

Link shoved Dark's shield, which had been held between the two. Dark toppled backwards, and Link rushed forward. Dark was stunned for a few seconds, giving Link the opportunity to stab at the clone's exposed chest.

Link's sword hit the floor; Dark Link had vanished completely. He was using the dark world as a means of sneaking behind Link or across the room. Link couldn't see any shadows in the dark room. Panicking, he fled the house and stood in the middle of the street outside, waiting for Dark to show himself. The strong sunlight would reveal Dark's location immediately.

The shadow never appeared. No matter how long Link stood waiting, the door of Garod's house remained stationary. Villagers cautiously walked around him, trying to stop staring at the gash across his shoulder. Nobody would dare to get close to him. He was holding his sword straight out in front of him, covered in sweat, breathing as if he had asthma. Link stood still, waiting.

) () (

Dark Link sat at the table, his head in his hands. Now that Link was gone, he could take down the protective shield that portrayed him as a tough, uncaring machine. The truth was, since he started realizing just what he was doing, he had started to think more and more. Part of him knew that if he didn't kill Link, Ganon would be furious. The other part begged him to give up. Who was he to take innocent lives just because someone told him to?

He would have to get out of there before the group came back; he didn't know if he could handle the pressure. His earlier behavior had caused everyone to hate him, but now that he was wavering, he wasn't so sure he liked being hated anymore. Inside, he knew it was impossible to win them back.

_Win them back? What am I talking about? Nobody ever liked me in the first place, and nobody is going to change their mind just because I say I don't want to kill anyone anymore. There's no way I can change what's happening. I have no choice but to follow Master Ganon's orders._

The act would have to wait until he had Link alone again. Dark Link sat alone in the dark chamber until he worked up the energy to leave through a back window. No one ever saw the small, damp, salty splotches he left on the edge of the table.

) () (

The sweltering summer heat was very palpable. There weren't many trees in Hayen, so Horacio resorted to leaning against the warm stone blocks of the hospital. The sun had gone down enough that the building provided some shade from its rays, but it was still blinding. The dry grass tickled his feet through his torn sandals. Though the scratchy blades were uncomfortable, he didn't take much notice. He was too busy thinking.

Link and Tael were inside; the doctor was having a look at his shoulder. The damage wasn't as bad as it had first looked, but the doctor had advised him not to use his right arm much if he could help it. As for Garod, he had died from the unidentified poison. Horacio hadn't known the old man, but he couldn't help feeling guilty for the whole thing. Dark Link had probably shot the dart to prevent Garod from giving them the location of the old pearl. If they hadn't come, Garod would still be alive.

Horacio had promised to aid in paying for his funeral. Garod had no living relatives, and Horacio had access to more money than everyone in that homely village put together. It all depended on if he could get his job back, but he was confident that it would all work out. Providing homes for all the people who had arrived from Pyrobia could be arranged as well, he was sure. He just needed to head off to the castle, and fast. Keeping people who couldn't yet speak Hylian in their houses was not a fun idea for the Hayens.

He had been able to shave and wash up at the hospital. Aside from the fact that he had green putrid-smelling sludge hardened over his legs, he reeked of sweat and was covered in dirt. He hadn't had a decent razor for a few years. There was no way he was going to the Myrennia Castle in such a state.

He jolted as the wooden front door creaked open next to him. As he opened his mouth to tell Link about his plan, his lips froze in place. Link's foot came down heavily on the front step. His expressionless face was as white as the bandage on his shoulder. He stumbled out into the street, muttering to himself.

"I killed him..."

Tael slipped through the door before it swung closed. Horacio quietly addressed him.

"It about Garod?" Horacio asked.

"Yeah. He's been mumbling that over and over since he found out. We tried to reassure him that it was Dark Link's doing, but I don't think he heard us," Tael replied.

"He knew Garod well, then?" Horacio assumed.

"Not really. A couple times while we were out there, he mentioned something about not fully trusting Garod. I called him crazy," Tael admitted.

"Then why is he so shaken up?" Horacio asked. Tael stared at him in disbelief.

"A guy just died just because we asked him the wrong question," Tael scolded. "And you're ok with that?"

"It wasn't our fault, it was that clone's. And I'm used to death. Just because I'm not walking around like a ghost doesn't mean I don't care," Horacio defended himself.

"All the same, you seem so empathetic about it," Tael replied, watching Link wander aimlessly around in circles. "Cut him some slack."

"Fine. I still don't understand him, but I'll drop it for now," Horacio muttered, shifting his position against the hot stones. "Look, I need to head up to the castle. I have a couple errands to run there. You guys stay here and keep out of trouble, ok?"

"I'll watch him," promised Tael. "I'd like to search Garod's house for the pearl, but I don't think Link will go in there, even after he snaps out of it. It'd probably bring up memories of Garod."

"Good thinking. Well, I'll be back as soon as I can." Horacio turned and jogged off through the heat waves toward the forest path leading to the lake. Link hardly noticed the man leaving.

Horacio bounced through the dappled shade of the forest. It felt great to be back in a normal forest, even if it wasn't very familiar to him. All the caves, swamps and mushrooms had started to get to his head. Now that he had left those crazy places behind, he was able to enjoy the scenery even more than he had a few years ago. Streams of light shone through spaces between the leaves, illuminating patches of vegetation below. It was easy to see far through the forest in any direction as long as tree trunks weren't in the way.

There was no sound except the crunch of dirt beneath his feet. The muggy summer air rested heavily on the forest; he couldn't feel any breeze. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Horacio continued jogging until the trees started thinning. Ahead, through the trees, he could see the lake. Black clouds were amassed in the distance behind the castle, occasionally releasing a noiseless flash of light. Surprisingly, the air still felt as still as death.

He slowed his pace and walked casually between the sand dunes, following the hard-packed dirt path. It led him close to the water's edge, so he scooped up some of the refreshing water and splashed it on his face. He jerked in surprise; the water was freezing cold. Looking up and across the clear blue lake, he shielded his eyes from the sun and tried to see the island in the middle.

Since he hadn't been out there for a few years, he couldn't be sure if the island had changed at all. He didn't remember the water being so cold, that was for sure. It was probably nothing, though. Horacio took a quick chilling drink and stood up. The storm in the distance didn't look pleasant. If he hurried, he would probably be able to make it to the castle before the clouds did.

) () (

Link wandered glassy-eyed through the trees. Images flashed through his head one after another. Garod looking quizzically around a room that looked like a tornado had gone through it. Garod's smile as Link helped sorting the rest of the books. His worried look as Link set off into the forest against his advice. Distorted wrinkles on his face as he cowered beneath Link's barrage of questions.

And then the look of shock upon his face the instant before his head hit the table. Link jerked violently, crying out to himself in anguish.

"I killed him, I killed him," he shouted, slamming his fists against the rough bark of a nearby tree. Without noticing the blood running down his hands, he slumped back against the tree, tears dripping to the mossy ground beneath him. It was all his fault. Sure, he had killed before, but this was the first time he had actually caused the death of an innocent person.

Why hadn't he realized Dark Link would be nearby? He had acted like they were safe. He had let down his guard. Now that Dark had a pearl, he could not only hide with ease but also get around more easily. If Link had realized that, he wouldn't have been so careless with Garod.

Sudden movement caught his eye. Bushes rustled, twigs cracked, and there was a heavy grunting sound. Link sprang up, his eyes flashing back and forth. The branch of a thick bush was heaved out of the way and Link stumbled back as something emerged. It was Freid, with blood oozing from several gashes across his body. The Moblin's eyes lit up as he spotted Link, and he rushed forward, sputtering sentences of Moblin as he went. Link backed up, getting ready to run.

"Link! Wait! He's warning you!" Tael's voice came from the trees somewhere. Link and Freid both stopped, looking up. "Listen to what he has to say," he went on. Tael prodded the news from Freid in the Moblin language, and Freid quickly responded.

"What's he saying?" Link questioned. Tael hovered down to his level. There were a few seconds of silence, and Link coaxed the fairy into answering him.

"The Fungistuls are going to attack the castle," Tael informed Link. "They're going to come up through the tunnels underneath the lake. Freid managed to escape after he learned, and he found his way here while looking for the castle."

"You believe him? For all we know, he's leading us into a trap!" Link yelled.

"His story is pretty believable. After getting their pearl stolen twice, I can imagine the Fungistuls wouldn't be too happy," Tael speculated.

"Ask him why he's telling us this," Link prompted. Tael recited the message to Freid. The Moblin hesitated, then sent back a string of rough, gravelly words.

"He says the Fungistuls are more of an enemy to him than you are," Tael told Link. "Starting with the time he learned that they flooded his village and leading up to the point when they didn't fulfill their promise to drain the swamp after he turned you in. He said that he really did leave Pyrobia because of how the humans were treated."

"I wonder how Rosaria and everyone over there are doing," Link pondered. After thinking for a minute, he replied. "I guess we'll have to trust him. Hurry, where's Horacio?"

"He left for the castle while you were...uhh...yeah. We can catch up with him if we go now," Tael responded, relieved at Link's answer. "I don't think Freid should come, though. He'd scare everyone."

"Well, those wounds need some attention," Link mentioned, pointing to the gashes all over the old Moblin's body. Tael relayed the message to Freid, who shook his head and replied.

"He said he's going for help. The Fungistul army is too powerful for the humans to fend off by themselves," Tael interpreted.

"Good idea. Come on, we need to go if we're going to catch Horacio and warn the castle in time."

Link took off, leaping over bushes, back west in the direction of Hayen Village. Tael shot after him. After leaning over and panting for a few seconds, Freid set off east through the darkening forest. None of them noticed in their panic, but a cool breeze was beginning to rustle through the forest.

6


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

For a second Link thought he had run into a wall of ice. He had sprung from the forest in a mad dash only to run straight into an entirely new environment. The sky had darkened significantly, though he could make out even darker clouds up north. It felt like the temperature had dropped to the tens, although the wind chill definitely played some part in it. In the distance, he could see the snow-covered island; it seemed to have grown since the last time he had been to the lake.

"Wh-what's g-going on?" Tael shivered, clutching Link's hair partly for warmth and partly to avoid blowing away in the fierce gale.

"D-don't ask me," Link stuttered, struggling to keep his teeth from chattering to the point of breaking. He had stopped in his shock, and now the wind threatened to push him straight back into the forest from which he had come.

"Hurr-rry, Link!" Tael screeched, flipping like a broken kite on the end of Link's hair.

Link lifted one heavy foot after the other, shielding his eyes from the wind with his left hand and hugging himself with his right. He was only wearing a light tunic; what else would he have in the middle of the summer? Apparently something very wrong was going on, and he was beginning to suspect the Fungistuls' part in it. And why not? It was quite possible that the Fungistul tunnels extended all the way to the area underneath the icy island.

It felt like being bombarded with tiny icicles, but in reality it was just freezing spray from the lake. Link trudged around the perimeter of the lake, using the sand dunes to his advantage; they provided slight relief from the breath-taking wind. Tael latched himself onto the back of Link's head, peeking over once in a while to check on their progress. They still had a long way to go.

* * *

Horacio stumbled along at a rapid pace, pushed from behind by the aggressive wind that had just picked up a few minutes ago. Not pausing to wonder why the air was moving towards the storm rather than away from it, he focused on staying on his feet. The sky grew darker, but there was no precipitation. A low rumbling now accompanied the distant flashes, which were becoming less and less distant by the minute. It felt like the temperature had dropped further.

Before he knew it, he was running through the castle gates, propelled by the fierce storm, which he had to keep telling himself was in front of him, not behind. The market was completely empty. Unfamiliar trees bent in the wind and new awnings flapped from new storefronts, but besides changed decoration, it looked exactly the same. The gate of the inner wall was clanging back and forth, straining against its lock. There was no guard in sight.

Quickly, Horacio made his way across the barren square and let his body slam into the iron gate, grabbing the bars and shaking them. He looked to the side and saw a light in the window of the gatehouse. Built into the wall, the gatehouse was a convenient shelter for guards on duty at the gate. Through the small eye-level window, Horacio found the guard sitting on a small wooden chair in the far corner trying to sleep.

"Excuse me," Horacio called into the room. The wind quickly devoured his words and fled, so he leaned into the open window and said it louder. This time the guard looked up lethargically, but he didn't move from the chair.

"What do you want?" asked the man.

"I've come to see the king," Horacio replied, barely able to hear the guard's words.

"Well, you can't," the guard scoffed, picking at a fingernail, "unless you have an invitation."

"I used to know the royal family," Horacio hastened to say. "I have proof."

The guard looked irritated, but he stood and unlatched the wooden door of the gatehouse, which blew open and slammed against the wall.

"Come in," the guard directed, bouncing from foot to foot in the cold. Horacio stepped into the small stone room, and when the guard hastily closed the door, it felt like he was slowly, silently burning in the still warmth. "Now, where's your proof?" asked the guard.

"Right here," Horacio assured. Removing the tattered sandal of his left foot, he lifted the foot and showed the underside. The guard looked closely at the dark green tattoo on Horacio's sole, holding it closer to his face than what was probably pleasant. Horacio stumbled on his right foot, waiting for the guard to approve.

"So you have the royal insignia," the guard commented dryly. "Fine, I'll unlock the gate." He pulled the collar of his shirt up around his neck and opened the door carefully, sending in a gust of wind and a slight spray of cold rain. Grumbling to himself, he sprinted out to the gate and quickly unlocked the padlock holding the gate together. Horacio ran outside, slipping the guard a piece of paper. As soon as Horacio stepped through, the guard slammed the gate closed, locked it, and dashed back into the gatehouse.

Horacio looked down the long stone path that cut the castle gardens in half. The tall, skinny, and recently cut bushes that lined the path were bent over in the wind, and Horacio couldn't help but run towards the dark castle. Besides the fact that he was eager to get inside, away from the barrage of sleet, the wind pushing him made it hard to stop. Thunder exploded through the sky. He tried not to show it, but this was the first time Horacio had really been scared of a storm.

* * *

It happened so gradually, Link didn't notice until he could see Tael swinging in front of him. The wind had changed direction, and it was just as strong as when it had started. Now, instead of blowing at him head-on, the gale was forcing him on from behind. Glancing to the side, he noticed that they had passed the snowy island. A flash of light illuminated the darkened lake, and Link thought he could see something moving in the center.

He shuddered and broke into a run, his back pelted by small droplets of freezing rain. It didn't matter that he felt like crap, he wasn't going to slow down when the wind was finally in his favor. Both Link and Tael had given up talking a long time ago; it was a waste of energy to shout through the inclement weather. However, Link found himself shouting when Tael flew off the end of his hair and twirled through the air with the wind.

Unable to catch up to the gale, Link watched the purple ball of light spiral toward the castle, struggling to right himself. With surprising speed, the fairy was swept over the top of the market wall. Not long afterwards, Link dashed across the drawbridge and through the square, slamming into the closed gate leading to the castle. He could see the faint pinpoint of light flying across the castle garden; it looked like Tael had regained control, even though he still couldn't fly against the wind. Link was almost pinned to the gates.

Hoping Tael would figure out some way to get back, Link turned around to start searching for Horacio. The only sign of life he could see was a man inside the gatehouse. Perhaps he had seen Horacio. Link staggered to the window and tapped on it.

"What do you want?" grumbled the guard sitting inside.

"I'm looking for someone and I was wondering if you had seen him," Link yelled through the gale.

"A guy passed by here a few minutes ago, before it started raining," the guard offered. "He went up to the castle. Tall, skinny, had curly hair. He had the royal insignia, so I let him through."

Link was silent in his shock. Horacio was royalty? What else was he keeping secret?

"Oh, yes, he left a message," the guard remarked. After grabbing a slip of paper from the nearby table, he examined Link closely. The corners of his mouth dropped even farther than they had already been. "I'm supposed to let you through." He clenched his teeth, stood up, and thrust open the door. Link didn't want to put him in an even worse mood, so he stepped aside as the soldier rushed to the gate. As soon as it had been unlocked, Link slipped through to let the guard lock it and get back inside.

_This is good. I'm in the castle. I can warn the king about the Fungistuls and he can handle it._

But deep inside, Link knew. The king wouldn't be able to handle it. The Fungistuls had already amazed Link with their technology, and he had only seen the surface of their powers. Humans couldn't deal with such creatures without help.

_The Moblins are going to come help us fight. Maybe even Rosaria can lend her power. We don't have anything to be worried about._

There he went again, trying to calm himself down. The Moblins knew nothing of magic, and Rosaria was just one person. Besides, Link didn't even know how their negotiations had gone. For all he knew, they had all killed each other. They needed more help, and fast.

* * *

"Horacio, my son," uttered King Marcos. "Where have you been all these years?"

"The Moblins captured me, father," Horacio replied, kneeling at the foot of the king's throne. "It took a long time, but I think my mission has been carried out. When we left that place, the - "

"We?" King Marcos interrupted.

"I'm sorry," Horacio stammered. "I left with a group of humans who had also been captured there. They have been staying in Hayen Village, and I came to ask if you would fund the building of houses for them. Right now they have nowhere to live but with other families."

"That's why you came, is it?" Marcos smiled broadly. Horacio grinned back.

"It may have something to do with being your son," Horacio confessed. "But that's it for the most part." The king laughed deeply at Horacio's joke and gestured to a servant.

"I want you to prepare a feast for the two of us. My son has returned!" Then, turning back to Horacio: "We'll address your home issue over roasted tektite!"

"Horacio!" screeched the purple fairy tumbling through a high window. "The Fungistuls! The Fungistuls are - " Tael was completely out of breath from his flight and struggled to speak.

"What is this?" King Marcos demanded.

"This is a fairy who helped us escape from the Moblins," explained Horacio. "What is it, Tael? What about the Fungistuls?"

"They...they're coming!" Tael gasped. "To attack the castle!"

"What?" Horacio and the king both shouted at the same time. The doors at the end of the hallway burst open and a boy clad in a soaking wet green tunic bolted through them.

"The Fungistuls are coming!" he exclaimed without realizing Tael had made it there first.

"Who's this, then?" Marcos asked Horacio.

"How do you know they're coming?" Horacio questioned, ignoring his father's question.

"Freid warned us. He escaped from them and he's going to try and get help from the Moblins, but I don't think that'll be enough," Link panted.

"Who is this?" Marcos repeated.

"He helped us too," Horacio informed his father absently before turning back to Link. "You're right, we need more than what we have to fight creatures like them. But who?"

"I don't know. Someone who can use magic," Link suggested.

"The only races in Myrennia who know magic are the Fungistuls and the Kenaks," Marcos explained, "and neither are on our side."

"Do we know if the Kenaks are on the Fungistuls' side?" Horacio thought aloud.

"They're on nobody's side. They hate everyone and everything. You'd be lucky to even speak to one of them," mumbled the king.

"But they're our only chance, right?" Link asked. "Maybe they have a grudge against the Fungistuls. We could get them to fight with us."

"He's right," Horacio advised his father. "It's our only option at the moment."

The king sighed. He rested his elbow on the armrest and his chin in his palm. Horacio, Link, Tael, and a couple of servants remained completely silent, staring at the king as he thought.

"I agree," King Marcos concluded. "It's the only thing we can do. The question is, how?"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"We need to get the Kenaks to hate the Fungistuls more than they hate us," Link suggested. "We can find out if anything ever happened between them in the past. If someone reminds them about it - "

"It's not that easy," Horacio sighed. "We can't just anger them and then tell them to fight for us."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Tael asked.

"We might be able to take the Fungistuls by ourselves," Horacio reasoned. "Do we know how many of them - "

"No," Link groaned, "but we need to reach a decision here quickly."

"Quick decisions are always the worst decisions," King Marcos frowned. "Horacio does have a point. We'll already be getting help, and it's too dangerous to send anyone into Kenak Jungle."

"What happened to that being our 'only option'?" Link demanded. "We can't fight creatures like the Fungistuls alone!"

"You don't know anything about the Kenak Jungle," explained Marcos. "Everything below the canopy drips black with death. That place has been known to devour adventurers alive, and only a few have ever been able to say they made it through and back. Let's assume the person we sent on the expedition got lucky and made it through. Then they'd have to face the Kenak tribe. In the histories, these people have been known for cannibalism _and_ human sacrifice to their gods, the fire ants."

"They worship fire ants?" Link questioned.

"There's supposed to be a huge palace in the center of their village, built for the fire ants," Marcos described. "They may have built it to contain the creatures so they wouldn't kill the whole village, but one thing is for certain. Most of our previous explorers were locked inside as some form of sacrifice. Only one of them managed to escape the jungle and give us the information."

"Sounds fun," Link quipped. "I still think it's our best bet."

"That makes one of us," Horacio said.

"Then I'm going," Link decided. He turned and ran back down the great hall towards the doors, Tael in hot pursuit.

"Guards, stop him!" King Marcos yelled. Two guards stepped in front of the exit, barring Link's way out. Link skidded to a halt, turning around with an irritated look on his face.

"He's really going to do it, isn't he?" Marcos whispered to Horacio.

"I'd bet my life on it," Horacio replied.

"I can't allow a child like him to go into the jungle alone," Marcos said a little louder than he meant to. Link gritted his teeth and ran for the doors, preparing to dodge the guards.

"Wait!" Horacio yelled after Link. Link didn't miss a step. He was almost to the doors when Horacio called out again. "I have some things for you!"

"Make it fast," Link urged, turning around. Horacio whispered something to Marcos, who then looked away in disgust for a few moments.

"Take him to the storeroom," Marcos finally told a nearby servant. "Get him a pair of pegasus boots and the ice rod. Then tell General White to get the soldiers prepared for battle."

* * *

Link dashed through the pouring rain in his shiny red pegasus boots. He did think the little white wings attached to the sides were a little over the top, but as long as the boots worked he was fine with them. Though they were supposed to make the wearer incredibly fast, he could only manage a normal running pace against the strong gale. The wind tore at his face and the heavy drops of freezing rain steadily pelted him. He had to keep Tael in a secure pocket of his tunic to make sure the fairy didn't blow away.

The ice rod Link had received was composed of a short wooden rod with a crystal orb attached to the end. The wooden part was split so that he could twist the end of it, activating the device. Supposedly the orb's temperature could rise or fall almost immediately, so twisting the knob could make the crystal intensely cold, and it would go completely back to normal after switched off. He had to be very careful about handling it; it was cold enough to kill with a simple touch.

Reaching the gate leading into the market, he shook the bars in desperation, hoping the guard could see him. A bright flash lit up the dark sky, sending a crackle through the air and showing an ominous view of the island in the middle of the lake through the drawbridge gate. The wind was blowing north, but the storm clouds were going south. Was that even possible? He shook the gate again and shouted for the guard to unlock it for him, but the wind just tore the words from his mouth and swept them away.

Deciding he had to climb the gate, he hooked a boot through the gap between bars and attempted to pull himself to the top. The wind created enough opposition to gravity to make it relatively easy for him to climb the vertical bars. He was more concerned about flying away than falling down. At the top of the gate, he was able to hang from the bars nearly horizontally. Somehow he managed to lift his foot, hook it over the top of the gate, and scramble over, rolling down the bars and hitting the ground on the other side.

His first thought was that he had crushed Tael, but with a quick check into his pocket he confirmed Tael was still fine. Now his task was to find the Kenak Jungle. He carefully pulled the map Garod had given him so long ago out of the same pocket Tael was crouching in, placing it against the wall where the wind wouldn't blow it away. Protecting it from the rain with his body, he searched the map and found the words "Kenak Mountains" in the northeastern section of the map, just north of the haunted mountains.

There was no mention of a jungle, and the drawing certainly didn't indicate one, but it looked like his best bet. He peeled the map off the wall, folded it up, shoved it back into his pocket, and took off toward the drawbridge. His only option was to cut through the swamp; any other route would take too long. According to the servant who had given him gifts from the king, the pegasus boots were so fast that they wouldn't break the surface tension of water. Running across the thick swamp would be no problem. It was what came after it that worried Link.

* * *

Dark Link crouched in the cluster of bushes near the castle gates, watching Link speed off towards the swamp. So, he was leaving for the jungle alone. Dark had sworn to destroy Link, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it personally. This was his chance to let someone else take care of it and then go back to Hyrule with Link's blood. With the blood, Ganon would be revived, and he could escape the binds of the sacred realm. Ganon would reward Dark somehow, as he had promised the day he had created him.

Dark Link slipped from the world of light and silently followed Link into the dark forest surrounding the swamp.

* * *

_The wind is dying down,_ Horacio thought. _I had been worried it would continue getting stronger and stronger until there was no possible way to do battle. Even like this, our archers can't be used; the wind's against us. I just pray the wind slows more by the time the Fungistuls get here._

It had been difficult convincing his father that Link and Tael would be okay by themselves, but he had finally done so. He just hoped he had been right. It wasn't that he doubted Link, it was just that he was afraid of being wrong, especially if someone's life hung in the balance. If Link didn't come back, Horacio would never be able to forgive himself.

Rain pattered steadily against Horacio's helmet and wind whistled past his ears, but it was actually rather quiet. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he scanned the surrounding land. The storm had brought the edge of the forest to life, and it was hard to tell the difference between people hiding in the trees and branches simply swaying in the gale. The lake was boiling with energy, slapping against the dunes on the far side. Horacio was freezing, but there was no way he was leaving his post with such a threat nearby. If the Fungistuls did come, the Myrennians would need to prepare as quickly as possible.

Suddenly something moving on the central island caught his eye. It looked like a group of...Fungistuls? Yes! There looked to be about twenty of them on the island. What were they doing? He squinted through the rain, trying to see what was going on. Gradually, they strode toward the water in rows. There they stopped for a few moments. A prick of golden light flashed into Horacio's vision as lightning struck in the distance. One of the Fungistuls was holding something shiny. Or were they all? All of the Fungistuls at the waters edge bent down. Calm waters rippled outwards until the stormy waves had all but disappeared. No, that wasn't water...was it? The lake's surface lightened and was perfectly smooth. They had just frozen the water. The whole lake. The gigantic body of water, frozen just like that.

Horacio's jaw dropped open, and he couldn't bring himself to move until he noticed that they were starting to cross the ice. Several more were appearing on the island, seemingly from underground. He didn't wait to find out how many were coming. He ran to warn General White immediately. Somehow, he was feeling more frantic than he thought he would. Maybe they would need more help after all.

* * *

Tael struggled to keep down the meal he had eaten earlier in the day. He swung back and forth, back and forth, like someone had sealed him in a bag and was shaking it vigorously. He was stuck in Link's tight pocket until they arrived at their destination, and he didn't like it one bit. Only a few minutes had passed and he was already feeling sick.

"Link! Where are we?" Tael shouted as loudly as he could, hoping Link could hear him.

"We just passed a big stone temple," Link replied, out of breath. "Abandoned."

It must have been the place Horacio and Tael had been captured. Were they really travelling that fast? At this rate they would arrive at their destination within minutes. He could only hope it was fast enough to bring help in time. There was no telling when the Fungistuls would reach the castle, and the Myrennians might not be able to hold them off for long. Tael sat as patiently as he could, longing for a breath of fresh air.

The green wall of his prison lit up, nearly blinding him. Link's motion slowed, and soon enough he came to a complete stop. They weren't there already, were they? Tael thrust his head from the pocket and looked around, protecting his eyes from the bright sun. Behind them, soft, light green grass sloped steeply downwards until it disappeared in the thick purple sludge of the swamp. Blackened limbs stretched from the trees behind, seemingly reaching for the two to drag them back into the mire.

Tael turned and noticed that the trees had not ended. They were standing in a sort of peninsula of light, and the sickly trees hugged them closely on three sides. To the south, the haunted mountains and the green plains beneath them were in view. Their little ribbon of grass rested atop a tall hill, nearly as tall as the trees of the swamp. Ahead of them was a forest so densely packed with darkness that Tael was left gaping. Link was silent, as well. A soft breeze swept by, slightly rustling the diseased leaves of the jungle, and the two of them shuddered.

The trees were exactly the same as the ones behind, yet they produced a hundred times as much shade. It could only be magic. And that was just what they needed against the Fungistuls.

_Wait, _Tael thought._ What happened to the storm?_ He floated from the pocket completely, trying to get a look over the trees. There was no sign of even a wisp of cloud to the west. _I'm looking in the right direction, aren't I?_ But to his amazement, the sky was clear no matter where he looked.

"Link, the storm is gone! Completely!" Tael yelled, not sure whether to be joyful or worried.

But Link was already gone.

* * *

Chief Mohan stroked his forehead, poring over the unintelligible mess of ink before him. He had just discovered this ancient leather-bound book he believed to be an ancestor's journal, but it was written in a language unknown to him. Knowing that the wavy lines and symbols strewed across the page would give him information about his tribe's history only agonized him more. Nobody was able to decipher it, and he knew he'd go crazy if he never found out what was written inside it. His only knowledge of the tribe's past came from obscure stories told to him by his father ages ago. He slammed the book closed and cursed just as a knock came on his door.

"Come," Mohan commanded, slipping the book underneath his oaken bed. A man swung open the thick wooden door, sweating profusely.

"A trespasser's been sighted," he reported. "Southwestern edge."

"You know you don't have to report things like this to me. Trespassers are to be captured and used as sacrifices," sighed Mohan.

"Chief, this is different."

"What could possibly make this any different than - " Chief Mohan began.

"It's a boy with a fairy," said the man.

Chief Mohan was silent for a moment. Fairy? Fairies could do anything, couldn't they? But what was a fairy doing in his jungle? No matter. It could translate the journal for him. Fairies were said to know many languages. Whatever happened to the boy wasn't important, but Mohan would keep the fairy alive. Perhaps this was his only chance for learning the history.

"Capture the fairy by whatever means necessary," Mohan ordered the man. "The gods may have the boy. Prepare him for the sacrificial ceremonies and wait until you receive further orders."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Link had discontinued his use of the pegasus boots. Besides the fact that he could barely see anything in the dark jungle, dense vegetation blocked his path. He could easily kill himself by smashing right into one of the thick, black trees at top speed. Tael had caught up and lit up the area slightly, but it still seemed like a moonless night had settled across the jungle.

Brushing aside black, wet vines that felt more like cold intestines, Link struggled up a rocky slope. He figured that the map had gotten half of it right; the jungle was definitely spread out over mountains. Why the map hadn't mentioned the jungle itself was something he would have to think about later. He had to be alert in case something jumped from the shadows. Anybody could hide easily in the dense foliage, but it would take an expert to keep from making noise. Besides the sound of Link's feet swishing through grass and leaves and crunching over rocks, it was completely silent. He wasn't surprised that no insects lived in the dark jungle, but it felt rather eerie and lonely.

Suddenly Link crested the top of the giant hill. A huge valley lay at the bottom, and the black trees continued endlessly. The canopy was still above Link, even atop the hill. The only difference between this side of the hill and the other side was the fungal growth. Translucent shelf mushrooms clung to the sides of the black trees, pulsating with an orange glow. More orange mushrooms sprouted from the ground here and there, almost buried in dead, blackened leaves. A rotting stench reached Link and Tael, and they cringed.

Their only choice was to go forward. Everyone back at the castle needed their help.

* * *

Horacio stood with General White on top of the castle wall, observing the Fungistuls below. Thousands of them had spread out across the lake, but they didn't appear to be advancing toward the castle. The air was freezing cold, and the rain had turned first to sleet, then snow. Now, everything was coated in a layer of snow and ice, and the soldiers had to hold the edge of the wall to remain steady. This would be a problem, if the Fungistuls ever decided to attack.

"They're moving, sir," one of the soldiers told General White.

Not all of them were shifting, but they appeared to be making room for someone else coming through. Someone important, if the space allowed by the soldiers was any hint. A voice bellowed through the wintry air, loud enough to cause some confusion about the speaker's location. It appeared to be coming from the Fungistuls, but it sounded much closer.

"King Mushi requests an audience with your king!"

"We don't negotiate with our enemies!" yelled General White.

"I think you will find our demands very reasonable," replied the voice. "We will give you an hour to make your decision."

It was silent then. General White appeared to be in deep thought. Horacio quietly - and literally - slipped away, keeping hold of the ice-encrusted wall with numb fingers. This was something his father himself would decide, not the general. Horacio could tell the general suspected foul play, but their best option was to at least postpone the battle. If they sprung into battle too quickly, help might not have enough time to reach them.

* * *

Link looked up at the smooth, enormous cliff standing in front of him. There didn't seem to be any way over the nearly vertical wall of gray stone, and it appeared to extend endlessly in both directions. A small cave, just high enough for Link to walk into without ducking, rested at its base, tempting him and Tael to check it out. After all, it was no darker than the rest of the jungle.

"The cave could lead somewhere," Tael offered.

"It could lead to some monster's den," Link replied.

"It could lead to the village," Tael pointed out.

"We don't know where it goes. It's too dangerous."

"We don't know where we're going anyway! We could have already passed the village! What makes you think we're going in the right direction?" Tael challenged.

"Remember what happened last time we went into a mysterious cave?" Link asked.

"That was _your_ fault!" Tael shouted. "We wouldn't have gone in if you hadn't been playing around with the elevator!"

"Yeah, and I'm not doing it again," Link answered.

"Okay, then I guess we can just fly over," Tael snapped, shooting upwards and disappearing over the top.

"Tael! Wait!" Link yelled over the cliff. There was only silence. _Great,_ he thought. _Not again._ "I'll go in! Just come back!" There was still no reply. Link groaned. "You're such an _idiot_," he shouted before stepping into the dark cave alone.

Without Tael, Link's only light came from the glowing mushrooms growing on the cave walls. Even so, he actually felt safer in the cave. The amount of light was about the same inside and out, and the close walls of the cave were more reassuring than the open jungle, full of hiding places. He just hoped it led somewhere. The last thing he wanted to do was encounter a dead end and have to backtrack.

No water dripped from the ceiling. It wasn't the wet, slimy cave he had expected to find in the middle of a jungle; it was dry and stuffy. Dust and charred rocks crunched under his boots. The scent of decay he had encountered outside had lessened. Trudging on for a few minutes, he found that the cave wasn't showing any signs of change.

But his fears soon left him when the tunnel started lightening. Maybe the village wasn't so dark, after all. The darkness could just be something used to deter visitors. He rounded a corner and was blinded. As he covered his eyes, the ground beneath him tilted and he began to slide. Unsuccessful in trying to grasp the smooth walls, all he could do was let go and tumble down the slope. The ground vanished beneath him and he fell for a few moments before landing face-first on hard-packed dirt.

Groaning from the pain, he lifted his head. The first thing he noticed was the sky. The second thing was the fact that the trees were normal-looking and not blackened. And then he realized that there were houses carved into the trees. Windows, doors, thatched awnings, and lanterns decorated many of the trees surrounding him. At the end of the path rested an enormous sloping structure made of black stone, and past it Link could see thousands of mountains. Not jungle-covered mountains, and certainly not dark, foreboding mountains. These were the kind Link wouldn't mind taking a vacation in. Covered in patches of grass and forest, flowing with clear, cool water, surrounded by fresh, crisp air.

There was a quick thump on the back of his head, and he passed out.

* * *

"Father, the Fungistuls wish to negotiate with you," Horacio explained to King Marcos.

"What do they want?" Marcos asked.

"They've asked you to come speak with their leader," Horacio replied.

"Do you trust them?" Marcos questioned.

"I can't say I do," Horacio answered, "but it's your decision."

King Marcos looked back and forth, biting his lip.

"If it'll get us more time," he decided.

"I'll tell them you're coming," Horacio said as he spun and quickly exited the throne room. Marcos sat for a few moments, contemplating the situation. What could the Fungistuls want? He wasn't too confident about the meeting, but they couldn't just start fighting yet. Kenak Jungle was far; it could take days for help to arrive without the aid of pegasus boots. If Link was lucky, he had already made it to the village. Or maybe the right term was unlucky.

* * *

Tael had flown over the cliff only to find himself trapped in a tiny green transparent orb. His surroundings had faded away, and he was now inside a circular room composed completely of seamless wood. Several windows let in sunlight and the sound of insects. Where was he? Had he made it to the village only to be captured? Suddenly he noticed the man standing behind him.

The man had dark, chocolate-colored skin - darker than any tan Tael had seen before. His head was topped with tightly-curled black hair, and his eyes were a strange teal color. He wore a loose green shirt and white pants, and though he looked pretty well-off, he was barefoot. Thick muscles - enough to make you feel uncomfortable, but not enough to sicken you - covered his body.

"Can you read this?" the man asked, holding open an old-looking book.

"Who are you?" Tael asked, ignoring the previous question.

"Can you read this?" the man questioned again. Tael glanced at the swirling letters written across the pages of the book, taking a moment to figure out what language it was written in.

"Yes," Tael replied. "Who are you?"

"Chief Mohan of the Kenaks. I need to ask you to translate this for me."

"In exchange for what?" Tael asked.

"Your freedom?" Mohan suggested.

"How about you help us fight the Fungistuls?" Tael offered.

"Ha! We wouldn't get involved in someone else's battle, especially if we didn't know who you were talking about," Mohan laughed. "Your freedom."

Tael took a quick glance down at the page and skimmed through a section of it. The chief's mind might change after hearing what was written here...

"It's a deal, as long as my friend gets freedom too," Tael decided.

"Friend?"

"Did you capture him too, or no?" Tael asked.

"Oh, him? He found his way here himself. He's doing fine," Mohan explained. "Please, read."

The chief set the book down on a nearby table, open to the first page. Tael's orb floated down next to the book, and he cleared his throat. After a small pause, he began to read.

"My name is Arane Kada. I am writing this so that future generations will never forget what has happened here..."

* * *

Kenak Mountains, year unknown

Arane scanned the valley below. No unusual movement was apparent, just the occasional rustling of a rabbit scurrying through bushes and the constant flowing of the river. The chirping of cicadas was ever-present, and birds twittered here and there. It was just a usual day at his lookout post. Nothing ever happened. Not that he wanted something bad to happen; it was just such a dull job.

_As if we even have to protect ourselves from anything. We have no enemies. _

He never sensed the arrow soaring through the sky. By the time he knew what was happening, it had plunged into his left thigh. Sharp pain tore through his leg, and panic clouded his mind. More arrows smashed against the rocks and trees around him. He quickly stumbled behind the top of the ridge he had been sitting on. They were under attack? Who would attack them? All he could do was limp back to the village and give the warning.

* * *

"By the time they made it to the valley, it was going up in flames," Tael read. "Not the kind of fire you can put out by throwing a bucket of water. This was different. It wouldn't stop spreading, and it sent up a column of orange smoke miles high. The village elders had to use magic to protect our area from the fire. By the time it was over, the mountains had literally been transformed."

"Does it say if they ever found out who did this?" Chief Mohan prodded.

"I'm looking," Tael replied, searching for the page he had seen earlier. "It looks like this book was written over a long period of time, by different people. So far, they've all used the same language, though."

"I knew that already. But why are you skipping ahead?" Mohan asked.

"Shh. I found it. 'Word has reached us that the Moblin village at the base of our mountains was recently flooded. I personally went to check out the situation and found that it had not only been flooded but also blackened just like our forest. I discovered a group of fungus-like creatures inhabiting the old Moblin temple, and I came to the conclusion that they were behind it. It does fit rather well, considering the fact that our attackers centuries ago left a bunch of mushrooms behind. I may organize a group to search for the origin of these creatures.'"

"Fungus-like creatures?" Mohan asked. "Didn't you say something about them earlier?"

"The Fungistuls," Tael realized. "They're going to do the same thing to Myrennia Castle."

"You know of these creatures?" Mohan questioned.

"Yes," Tael answered. "They're planning another attack. I had come here to ask for your help."

"Lead us to them and we'll destroy them," Mohan vowed. Tael swore he could see a hint of red flash inside Mohan's teal eyes.

* * *

Link could feel flat, smooth wood beneath him. The sound of insects chirping grabbed his attention; perhaps he hadn't been dreaming about the village. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a tight cage made of wood inside a dark room. He pounded a fist against the crossing wooden bars, suddenly noticing that there didn't appear to be any seams. It was as if the whole cage had been carved from a single piece of wood. But that was impossible - where was the door? The more he searched, the more he realized that it could only be magic. It was much like the Fungistul vaults, only not quite as advanced.

He had been dressed in some sort of long white tunic, almost blinding in its color. Hopefully not some sort of sacrificial robe. His boots were gone, and there were no shoes to replace them; he was now barefoot. The strange thing was the fact that he still had the ice rod strapped to his belt. He slipped it out, positioned it beneath his tunic, and tightened the belt to keep it in place. It would be a good idea to hide it just in case he needed it later. Hopefully he wouldn't accidentally twist the knob when he turned.

A soft, rhythmic padding sound came to his ears and he looked around. It seemed to be coming from outside. Suddenly a door swung open, letting in a shaft of light. Someone wearing baggy white pants was walking barefoot towards the cage, but Link couldn't see higher due to the solid ceiling of the cage. He'd never seen such dark skin before, and he wondered if all the Kenaks were like this.

Suddenly the roof of the cage was lifted, and Link looked up. A strong, dark man stood above him, and Tael flew at his side. Was everything ok?

"Sorry about this," the man apologized. "Come with me."

Link stood, stepped over the wall of the cage, and left the building with him. He was still in the village he had seen earlier.

"I understand you've been inside the Fungistul base?" the man asked. Had Tael talked him into fighting already?

"Uh, yeah..." Link answered. "The city?"

"Wherever they keep their weapons."

"I didn't see any, but if they had them, they'd be kept safe in the vaults there," Link suggested.

"Well, I'm going to need you to lead us there," the man directed. "I have things to do before we're ready to leave, so just stay out of trouble. I'll arrange for your old clothes to be returned."

With that, he left Link and Tael standing in the middle of the village. A few villagers - with the same dark skin - glanced at them every once in a while, but nobody had approached them. Link looked up at Tael.

"What did you do?" Link asked.

"Turns out they have a bad history with the Fungistuls," Tael replied. "We were lucky after all."

* * *

King Marcos and King Mushi had arranged to meet outside the castle walls, at a point within shooting range of both sides. In case anything went wrong, Fungistul and human archers were standing ready. Marcos stood ankle-deep in the snow, dressed in a warm, luxurious purple robe. Mushi faced him, dressed in the usual Fungistul garb: nothing. The only thing distinguishing him from the rest was the translucent blue crown placed on his head. Still, Marcos couldn't tell if there was any way to differentiate between genders. For all he knew, they were all the same.

"You wanted to meet me; what is it?" Marcos demanded.

"No need to be impatient," Mushi said. "You know why this whole ordeal has come about, of course. We want our pearl back. Preferably both of them."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marcos truthfully stated.

"I think you do. Your people have stolen them both from us, and we want them back," Mushi demanded calmly. "If you don't return them within twenty-four hours, consider your reign over."

That said, King Mushi turned and walked slowly back to the protection of his army. Marcos backed away and then started walking to the castle, confused. As soon as he passed through the drawbridge it was closed, and Horacio was at his side, asking for news.

"They want 'their pearl' or something," Marcos informed him. "We have one day before they attack. I don't know if that's enough time for the Kenaks to make it here, if they even agree to help us."

"The pearl of darkness?" Horacio stammered. "I know where to find them both...but I think only one of them will be possible to get. Did they ask for one or two?"

"He only asked for one, but he said he'd rather have both," Marcos explained. "You say you can find one of them? What are you still doing here?"

Horacio said good-bye and ran for the stables. He needed to reach Hayen village as soon as possible, without the Fungistuls spotting him. He could take the fastest horse available through the woods skirting the western edge of the lake. If he was lucky, he could find Garod's pearl of darkness before it was too late.

* * *

Dark Link sat in the bushes, fuming. This was not going well. There had to be some way to get Link back into trouble. He couldn't let him get away again, not after the amount of times it had already happened. This was his last chance.

Anything that would get Link killed with little risk to Dark would be fine. He knew the Kenak laws, it would be easy enough. This time, he would make sure Link died and stayed that way.

* * *

Chief Mohan strode through his front door. Today was possibly the luckiest day of his life. He had finally learned the cause of his jungle's curse, and he would finally get revenge. The Fungi-somethings would destroy no more. Whistling as he opened his bedroom door, he jumped when someone else was in the room. The boy, the one he had just released from being sacrificed, was standing in the middle of his room, holding the leather journal, staring at the open door with wide eyes.

Mohan shouted, and the boy shot for a window. He dove out before Mohan could grab him, disappearing into the bushes. Mohan quickly exited the building and grabbed the nearest guard he could find.

"Do you know what the young boy we captured today looks like?" he asked.

"Yes, sir...I helped grab him."

"Search for him, and throw him in the temple. He stole something of mine, which I want returned to me as soon as you find him."

"Chief...aren't you being a little..."

"You know the laws on stealing here," Mohan fumed. "You'd think he would be grateful that I released him. But no, he just goes and - "

"Chief, he's standing right over there," the guard pointed out. Mohan spun and looked. The boy and his fairy were lazily wandering around as if nothing had happened. They appeared surprised and confused when the guard grabbed the boy's arm, leading him back to Mohan. If there was anything stupider than wandering around in plain sight after being seen stealing, it was appearing confused in front of the very person who had witnessed it.

"Give me the book," Mohan demanded.

"I don't have any books with me," Link answered.

He was right; the boy wasn't holding anything and the book was far too big to hide under that tunic. He must've hidden it elsewhere.

"Where did you put it?" Chief Mohan asked again.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Link said.

"He's been here the whole time," Tael hastened to say. "He couldn't have stolen anything."

"Don't you get into trouble, too," Mohan warned the fairy. "Guard, take the boy to the temple. Now."

"He didn't do anything!" Tael shrieked.

"Shut up, unless you want to be put in there with him!"

The boy was dragged away with that disgusting look of fake bewilderment on his face when Mohan thought about the consequences of this. Did the fairy know where to find the Fungistul city? If not, the boy might be the only way of finding the Fungistul weapons. Then again, did they really need them? Perhaps they could make do with their own powers. He couldn't trust such a boy, anyway.

* * *

_That's right,_ Dark Link thought to himself, ducking in a dark corner. _Come on in._ Link had been shoved through the entrance of the huge black pyramid, and the stone door had been lowered behind him. Now he was looking around in the darkness. Soon, the ants would come. They would feast on Link's flesh until he could no longer breathe, and then Dark would swoop in to collect the blood. It would have to be before the fire ants had finished; otherwise there would be nothing left. He could easily gather a sample and disappear into the dark world before the ants had a chance to attack him.

He couldn't help letting out a quiet snicker, watching Link take a look around the room. _There's no escape now. You're finally mine._


	30. Chapter 30

Author's note: I would really appreciate it if you refrained from putting spoilers in your reviews, _especially_ for this chapter. ;) Thanks for reading. The ruler thingies don't seem to be working, so you get homemade paragraph splitters this time.

Chapter 30

Horacio's horse ran as fast as it could through the dense forest. Out in the open, the snow was layered at least two inches deep. Under the trees, there wasn't quite as much. The sudden winter had caused a strange-looking scene; snow was collecting on still-green leaves. It wouldn't take long for the previously flourishing plants to wither if the freezing weather kept up.

Bitter wind swept across Horacio's face, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had ever experienced a winter quite as cold. There had been plenty of times when it had snowed more than this, but he couldn't remember - the horse suddenly reared up on its hind legs, neighing, cutting off Horacio's thoughts. Spinning his arms around like windmills, he fell backwards, landing in the snow behind the horse.

_What's wrong?_ Horacio thought as the horse turned and galloped away. There was definitely something different about the atmosphere. The air felt thicker and damper; it almost smelled of...fungus? Horacio swung his torso upright. The snow was glowing orange in several places. He quickly brushed off a layer of snow to find a round mushroom cap sprouting from the ground, glowing with a strange orange light. Had the Fungistuls been here?

Hayen Village wasn't far by now. He broke into a brisk walk, which was as fast as he could go through the snow-covered foliage. As if it had noticed his poor footwear, the snow seeped in through his boots, making his feet miserable. His coat was warm enough, but his face was freezing. Surely his nose had fallen off, because he couldn't feel the touch of his fingers with it. Not to mention his fingers couldn't feel his nose. His gloves weren't made for icy weather, and all they seemed to do was restrict his finger movement even more than the numbness already did.

A sudden glimpse of open space pushed his legs to move faster. He stumbled out into the clearing where Hayen Village was - or, used to be. All that was left was a smoldering pile of wood and stone, already being engulfed in black vines.

-----------------------------------------------

Shadows filled the vast hall inside the pyramid. Only a small amount of light filtered down into the room through vegetation-covered ventilation holes in the ceiling. Massive stone pillars lined the hall, disappearing into the darkness where Link couldn't see. It was silent - maybe not a complete silence, because he could still hear the slight sounds of birds outside, but that was all there was.

Looking around the hall, Link readied himself for what might come. He slipped the ice rod from his tunic, holding it at his side. Trying to put aside his confusion from the whole situation, he focused on exploring the room. The ice rod produced a slight glow when he twisted it to the on position, so he used it as a sort of cold lantern. To his surprise, the room contained nothing other than two rows of pillars. The only points of interest besides these columns were the etchings in the wall.

Figures, both letters and drawings, lined the walls. It was in some kind of ancient language, so all Link could do was look at the primitive drawings of people holding their arms up and kneeling. There didn't seem to be any entrances or exits to the room aside from the main doorway, which had been locked behind him. Several holes, some tiny and some the size of Link's head, dotted the floor and walls. It was while looking into one of these holes that the silence changed.

Gradually, a new sound reached Link's ears. It sounded like a mix between a whisper and a clicking noise. He stepped cautiously away from the wall, slowly spinning to get a full view of the room. Suddenly the holes started growing, changing shape. Link leaped back, holding the icy globe close to the ground. The holes weren't growing. Something was coming out of them. Millions of tiny crawling creatures, whispering and clicking their way towards Link. Fire ants.

-----------------------------------------------

Horacio's mouth had dropped open. He stood there, emitting rhythmic puffs of steam until his breath became too cold to produce more. Had the Fungistuls found out the location of Garod's pearl? Was this just a random act of violence? Perhaps he could still find the pearl in the ruins of Garod's house. But where was Garod's house? He couldn't remember the precise location, and all the rubble was strewn into one big mess.

Hopping over the fragmented blocks of stone and shattered wood, he tried to reconstruct the village in his mind. Garod's house had been built completely of wood, while all the other houses were mostly stone. Perhaps it would be easiest to search for a concentration of wood, then. Unfortunately, the distribution seemed to be pretty much equal throughout the wreckage.

Wind swept the snow around his feet and over the debris. Tree branches rustled, occasionally startling Horacio by dropping a load of the slush. Other than that, there was no life to be seen. If there were any survivors, they hadn't stuck around. He would have to get back to the castle. There was no use looking for a tiny pearl in this mess, and Fungistuls could still be nearby.

He'd have worn tougher boots if he had known he would have to trudge all the way back to the castle on foot. It felt like he had a block of ice encasing each foot. But he couldn't complain; what would it matter? The only thing that would help him get back was action. He lifted one heavy foot after the other, quietly stomping into the trees.

The instant he entered the woods, hands grabbed him. One clamped over his mouth; others went for his arms and legs. He was quickly and quietly wrenched downwards into the bushes, where he was dragged down a small tunnel into a dim room. Before he could even think about giving a muffled shout, someone spoke.

"Horacio? That you?"

Horacio struggled to turn his head, and instantly all hands left him. He was in a small, wet cave, lit with a dim fire in the center. Ten or so people of varying ages sat or stood around the room, and all eyes were set on him. He recognized a few from the Moblin city in Pyrobia. _These must be survivors of Hayen Village._

"Horacio, what are you doing here? Those mushrooms would have seen you if you had gone any farther. You're lucky we saw you first," said one of the translators from Pyrobia.

"I came looking for something," Horacio replied. "The Fungistuls have threatened the castle, and they're demanding a pearl I think Garod used to own."

"A pearl?" asked a woman in the corner.

"Fungistuls?" questioned an older man.

"Not just any old pearl. One that lets you access the dark world," Horacio explained. "The Fungistuls - those mushroom creatures you mentioned - created two, and both were stolen from them. They want at least one back in a day, and we don't have either yet."

"I don't think any of us know what you're talking about, but I do know one thing," answered the translator. "You're going to have to get comfortable here, because it's not safe to go back to the castle. The Fungithingies are scouring the woods north of here. You managed to get here just before they arrived, and there's no going back now."

-----------------------------------------------

Link stretched the ice rod out towards the fire ants with wide eyes, spinning in a slow circle to avoid being approached from behind. They appeared to stay at a distance from the intense cold, but for how long? He definitely couldn't stand there fending them off forever, but he had no choice. There was no exit, and the room was empty of any other weapons or tools. Perhaps if he could get the orb closer to the ants, they would freeze to death.

He stepped forward swiftly, holding the crystal a hair away from the swarm of ants. There was a screeching noise, and several of them died. Just as many poured in from behind them. Link turned to fend off the ants coming up behind him, jerking forwards just like he had done with the others. It was a slow process, but it was better than nothing.

Something pricked his right arm. He jerked, looking down at his skin. A single fire ant crawled in a circle on his arm. How had it gotten there? His head started itching, and when he scratched it his hand came away speckled with red. Blood? No, they were dead fire ants. Where were they coming from?

He saw one fall to the ground at his feet. It was slightly too far away to have come from his head. He looked up, shielding his eyes, only to find that the ceiling was swarming with just as many ants as the floor and walls. His body was shaking as he drove back the fire ants almost at his bare feet. A tingling sensation flooded his right arm, emanating from the small red bump where he had been bitten. He couldn't last long, especially with ants dropping from the ceiling.

And then another problem was thrust into the mix when something whacked him on the side of the head. Stumbling over, he fell into the field of fire ants. He shot back to his feet, wildly stomping, brushing, and swinging the ice rod all at the same time. His hands, covered in welts, started burning. He could feel more bites on his back. What had hit him?

A flash of green caught his eye, and he brought up the ice rod just in time to block a sword attack. The green instantly vanished. Was Dark Link here? He could be warping from world to world to avoid being seen or attacked by the fire ants. Link swept the ice rod around the floor again to fend off the ants. By now, the numb tingling sensation was all over his body. It felt slightly like being on fire, but he knew he wasn't.

Another sudden attack left him with a gash across the left arm. Stunned, he dropped the ice rod. The instant it hit the floor, it shattered. He leapt away from it as quickly and powerfully as he could. A burst of frozen air passed him, and he landed on solid ice. With nothing to grasp, his bare feet slipped out from under him and his head smacked against the cold, hard floor.

-----------------------------------------------

_Victory!_ Dark Link exclaimed in his mind. _I can kill him now and take the blood without having to deal with the ants._ He approached the fallen body cautiously, in case it was still conscious. Link didn't seem to be moving, so Dark stepped onto the sheet of ice covering half the floor of the temple. He was safe from the fire ants here, and Link was out cold. He had nothing to worry about. Then why was he worrying?

He found the answer as he stood above Link. Looking down, it felt like he was standing on a mirror. He saw himself, lying lifeless on the floor. Ice was tinted red around him. What was it like to be dead? How would it feel to simply not exist anymore? Was there anything after death?

Link's eyes shot wide open. His mouth opened to let out a cry, but only blood gurgled out. A look of horror crossed both his and Dark Link's faces...no, he was just imagining things. Link was still unconscious. Dark started sweating and looking back and forth between the wall and Link's face. How painful would it be to die? Did all killers hesitate before killing?

_Blood._ The metallic taste swept over Dark's tongue. He looked at his sword, still smeared with red from Link's arm.

_You love to kill. Accept it, and follow your orders,_ Dark Link told his softer side.

_Can't I just take some blood and leave him?_

_You know it wouldn't work. In order to bring Ganon back, there must be a sacrifice._

_I can't kill him._

_You were created to kill, idiot! If you won't do it, then I will!_

_I _am_ you! You can't do anything without me letting you!_

Dark Link's feet struggled to move, but he was unable to bring his mind to a decision. His left arm extended his sword over Link, while the right arm tried desperately to pull it back. Unfortunately, his left arm was stronger. There was nothing his softer side could do to stop the darker side...except...

He quickly kicked himself in the leg, causing himself to fall over sideways. Link awoke as soon as Dark landed on him. Quickly shoving Dark off, he scrambled for the broken ice rod, which had not been trapped under the ice. He had to go right handed again, since his left arm had been injured. Dark Link still had a chance. His darker side started boiling over into his soft side, and he stood on the ice, raising the blood-stained sword. Link stood facing him, ready to protect himself with the rod. Fragments of the broken crystal ball still remained on the end, and it looked like it could still be dangerous.

Why had he been stupid enough to wait until Link had woken? Why did he always do this? No matter; Link couldn't possibly win using that clumsy piece of wood. Dark lunged for Link's stomach, and his arm was knocked aside with the rod. Both of them slid across the ice, waving their arms for balance, trying to get in an attack, and protecting themselves at the same time. Dark Link fell over backwards, and Link took the opportunity to swing at his head. Before the club could reach Dark, he ducked and shoved Link's stomach, sending him sailing across the ice.

Reaching the edge of the ice, Link's feet jolted to a halt, and he tumbled backwards into a bed of hungry fire ants. As soon as he jumped up to get back on the ice, his face met the sole of Dark's boot. Flailing his arms, Link was sent far into the swarming red sea. This time, he was instantly engulfed in ants. Dark watched the red Link-shaped object struggling to crawl back towards the ice. He heard the cries and moans of intense pain. He felt the sharp pain in his own imagination, and he turned his head away, closing his eyes.

Eventually the sounds subsided. It was now or never; the blood had to be collected before it was all gone. Dark forced himself through the ants as quickly as he could. He stabbed a needle into the mass of ants covering Link's body and extracted as much blood as he could, sealing it in a small vial. Fire ants were starting to bite him. He warped into the dark world and the ants fell to the ground, as if they had been climbing thin air. It had been done; he needed only to return to Hyrule.

He stood against the wall, watching the shadowy form of Link's body on the ground. Was this the right thing to do? He knew what the answer would be before he thought it: one side of his mind said "yes" and the other said "no" at the same time. It didn't matter; he had done it. Once the Kenaks returned to the temple to confirm Link's death, Dark would escape, make a quick stop in the haunted mountains, and start the journey back to Hyrule to revive Ganon.

-----------------------------------------------

"The soldiers are preparing for battle," Mohan informed Tael the next morning. The fairy was again being held in the same green orb as before. "You're going to show me where the Fungistul base is hidden."

"What if I refuse?" Tael challenged. Mohan smiled, stroking his chin.

"We could always wait for revenge until after the Fungistuls have destroyed your castle."

Tael gasped. He knew Mohan wouldn't hesitate to make such a decision. This situation wasn't going to remain personal for long. Unless he complied with the man, all the innocent people at Myrennia Castle wouldn't stand a chance. There was no question left in his mind. He had to help him, even if he did send Link to his death.

"We'll be leaving in an hour or so, if you decide to show us the way," Chief Mohan warned. "And don't even think about leading us the wrong way. You'd be a complete idiot not to know the consequences." With these words, the chief left his home, leaving Tael to sulk in his tiny prison.

-----------------------------------------------

"Sire, it's nearly been twenty-four hours," General White told King Marcos. "We need to prepare for the worst."

"No help has arrived?" Marcos asked. Horacio had still not returned, and the Moblins and Kenaks weren't showing. The Myrennians would hardly be able to put up a fight before they were completely destroyed by the Fungistuls.

"None," replied the general. "We're keeping a close watch on the Fungistuls, and that's the only thing we can do right now. There's still a chance that help will come in time."

"Only a slim one," sighed Marcos. "I have a feeling this battle won't last long."

-----------------------------------------------

"Moblins! Lots of them!" a man whispered down the tunnel with wide eyes. "They came!"

Horacio had filled the former Hayens in on what was going on. Many had complained about the fact that the Moblins were coming so close, especially with the intent to help fight. Those beasts wouldn't help, the people said; they would turn and attack the humans. Although he tried, Horacio couldn't persuade them to think otherwise. They didn't seem to understand that the Fungistuls were much more dangerous than the Moblins. He didn't blame them, though; half a lifetime wasted in slavery wasn't something you could instantly change your mind about. He was lucky to have only been in captivity for a couple years.

Everyone but Horacio put on worried expressions. As he stood, the man in the tunnel became stiff, spreading his arms across the exit.

"You can't go out there," the man instructed. "You'll put everyone here at risk."

Horacio silently lifted his left foot. The man tensed, afraid Horacio would try something to get by. Instead, Horacio stood still, his leg bent to the side in order to show the sole of his foot.

"Let me through," he commanded.

"So you have a tattoo on your foot. Should that mean anything to me?"

"He is royalty!" someone exclaimed.

"Thank you," Horacio murmured. The man in front of him started to tremble, and he slowly stepped aside. "I know what I'm doing. None of you are in any danger, so don't worry about it. I'll be back soon. Lyle, I need you to come with me."

Knowing it was foolish to question royalty, the translator stood shakily. Horacio beckoned him to follow and then turned into the tunnel. He had decided to get the attention of the Moblins a little farther away from the humans' hiding spot. There was no harm in being extra safe. So once he and Lyle had climbed out into the bush covering their hideout, he crawled through the snow-covered foliage, all the while glancing up for any signs of the Moblins. Once he found Rosaria, he would be safe for sure, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to do so without a Moblin's help.

After crawling several yards from the hole, he lifted his head above the tall grass and scanned the surroundings. Not far away, a Moblin was shivering and watching for something - Fungistuls, probably. It seemed dangerous to suddenly pop up into plain view before warning the Moblin, so Horacio signaled Lyle to come up next to him.

"Before we stand up, I need you to tell him that we're friends and we wish to see Rosaria," he whispered.

Horacio could see Lyle was shivering; he didn't know whether it was from the cold or fright. Either way, the translator mustered up enough courage to speak Horacio's words in the Moblin language, loud enough for the Moblin to hear, but quiet enough to remain out of earshot of any Fungistuls that might be around. Looking about, confused and wary, the Moblin responded.

"He wants to know who we are and asks for us to show ourselves," Lyle muttered.

Hands raised at chest level to indicate he had no weapons, Horacio stood. Hopefully Rosaria had made it clear to the Moblins that they weren't to kill humans.

"Ask him again to take us to Rosaria," Horacio instructed Lyle. The translator obeyed, and the Moblin pointed behind himself, replying in his language.

"He can't leave his post," Lyle explained. "He's pointing us in the direction of their camp."

"Thank you," Horacio said to the Moblin. He pulled Lyle along behind him, walking around the tree behind the Moblin. Almost instantly, a whole army of Moblins materialized before them. The forest was suddenly green and warm - compared to before, anyway. Was this Rosaria's magic? She had to be nearby.

"Horacio!" exclaimed a familiar voice. Rosaria. The great fairy floated in between the two men and the Moblins. She looked even more magnificent than before. Her amber hair seemed to burn with passion, and her blue eyes sparkled like crystals. "I never expected to see you here. If you couldn't already tell, we made peace with the Moblins successfully, though most of it was probably out of fear of each other. I heard about the castle's predicament, and we're here to help in any way we can."

"Wonderful," Horacio answered. "Have you noticed the Fungistuls doing anything suspicious lately? Their king made it pretty clear that they'd attack around this time."

"As a matter of fact, we were just preparing for battle," Rosaria informed him. "Some of the Fungistuls are sneaking unseen around the outside of the castle. We knew they were planning on doing something soon, so we decided to take them by surprise before they could take the humans by surprise."

Horacio chuckled. "Well, are you ready yet?"

"Not quite." Rosaria winked and motioned to a Moblin standing next to a nearby pile of weapons. He quickly picked up a sword and tossed it to Horacio. "You'll need a shield, too," Rosaria reasoned, and a round, reddish crystalline shield appeared in Horacio's left hand. "It will protect you from most magic attacks from the Fungistuls. I would provide something more protective, but I'm afraid I don't have enough power to form enough for everyone."

"It's enough," Horacio decided. "Now are we ready to slice us some mushrooms?"

"We're ready," Rosaria replied, grinning.

Horacio noticed that his translator was no longer standing beside him.


	31. Chapter 31

Author's stuff: I'm incredibly sorry I took so long. This is _not_ dead.

Chapter 31

Zelda leaned on the stone rail of her balcony, staring into the purple-blue night sky. A cool breeze rustled across her pale pink nightgown, blowing through her long blond hair. It had been a little over a week since Link left Hyrule. She hoped he was finding whatever he had been looking for. It had been boring and lonely at the castle lately.

"Princess, you really should get to bed," Impa, Zelda's maid, called softly through the open double doors leading into Zelda's room. "It's late, and it's getting cool outside." As if on cue, a chill ran through Zelda's body, and she shivered. She suddenly wanted to go back inside.

"What do you think Link is doing right now?" Zelda asked, padding across the stone patio with bare feet. She entered her bedroom, scrunching the soft red carpet between her toes, and Impa closed the doors behind her.

"I'm sure he's fine, whatever he's doing," Impa replied. "That's a ridiculous question, anyway. I don't know any more than you do. Now get some sleep." With that, Impa left the room, walking off down the hallway and letting the door swing slowly closed. Zelda plopped onto the overly-soft bedding, sitting still for a few moments. A strange feeling swept through her again - almost like the times when she knew she had forgotten something and couldn't remember what it was.

She finally had to shake it off and crawl under the thick lavender blankets, blowing out the candle on the bedside table. Darkness enveloped the room, and she wandered into the world of dreams.

* * *

King Mushi stood knee-deep in the snow - or, he would be if he had knees. The cold, pale white plains between him and the castle were peacefully resting, unbroken. He imagined how it would look later today - deep red, its surface torn and littered with bodies, then black, overgrown with fungus. Soaking in the frigid air, he anticipated the metallic flavor of blood. It was almost time.

Soldiers had crept around the base of the castle, magically veiled from sight. The humans were not getting another warning. At Mushi's command, the Fungistuls would attack, and the puny humans would have nothing to protect themselves with. If they were not willing to part with the pearls of darkness, they had to be eliminated before the pearls could be used against the Fungistuls.

A faint whistle caught his attention. It seemed steady, like the wind, but it was too high-pitched to be that. Besides, the wind had stopped. A reddish tint flooded the plain, as if it had already been doused in blood. The whistle grew louder, beginning to give Mushi a headache. Almost too late, he turned around to see a ball of fire hurtling down from the sky. A split second before it hit the ground, Mushi projected a dome of shielding energy, watching the flames pour over it like water on glass.

When the heat subsided, he removed the shield so as not to waste energy. A circle of ashes and charred earth surrounded the portion of his army that had not gone up to the castle. Most of them had shielded themselves in time, but he could tell several were missing. The lake had melted, leaving some Fungistuls to drown and others - including him - to be stranded on the central island. As powerful as they were, they could not swim, so they would have to find a new way to get across the water.

The problem they had to deal with immediately was the source of the sudden attack. The humans couldn't have produced such a display, but no other enemies seemed to be present.

And suddenly, from within the edges of the southern forest, a shout erupted. It was the war cry of a thousand Moblin warriors.

* * *

Tael floated through the blackened jungle in his orb like a butterfly on a leash. The Kenak army trailed behind him, starting with Chief Mohan. Tael really didn't know where he was going, because he was always bad with directions in woods, and he wasn't sure where the Fungistul City even was without following the bridge in the trees where Link, Horacio and he had met up after the whole incident with the crazy Moblin. The most he could do was shoot for that path. If he was lucky, he'd stumble upon it sooner rather than later.

Beginning to hear an irritating squishing sound, Tael looked down at the ground below to find that it was soaked with moisture. Whenever the Kenaks set foot on the moss, a pool of water squirted up around their boots. Perhaps they were nearing the swamp. Tael knew it would be troublesome to lead an entire army through a deep swamp, especially when they were short on time. It would be a better idea to lead them around the edge until they found solid ground. After all, they were going to be looking around in the woods, not the swamp.

He angled left, and the soldiers followed.

* * *

A breeze rustled through the empty market, sending up wisps of snow. The cold, gray sky only added to the sense of abandonment. All the people had been moved inside the inner castle walls, and the only humans that remained in the market were soldiers. They all stood silently at the top of the wall or along the base.

A massive ball of fire had just rained destruction on the field and lake before them. All the soldiers, even those on the ground who couldn't see, had become tense and fearful. The magic had been directed at the Fungistuls, so they were thankful, but they couldn't help worrying a little.

Then they heard the cry. Led by a fiercely glowing woman, an army of Moblins rushed from the forest to the south, chanting something in another language. The Myrennian soldiers began to cheer. Against magic like this, the Fungistuls had a bigger enemy to overcome.

Windowpanes throughout the market started rattling. Slightly vibrating, the ground emitted a low rumbling sound. Overcome with excitement, the soldiers didn't take notice until a portion of the eastern wall was propelled into the air in a fierce explosion, its blocks glowing bright red. A group of about fifty Fungistuls poured in from the other side, wielding bright blue blades with jagged edges.

Before they reached the grounded soldiers, a few of the Fungistuls were shot down by archers atop the remaining walls. Then the sound of sword against sword ripped through the market, and the battle had begun. The only reason the Fungistuls weren't killing them right away was probably that they had limited magic. After destroying the wall, they would need to gather energy before unleashing another attack. All the Myrennians could do was fight them off as long as possible.

* * *

"Go!" Rosaria shouted to Horacio through the bustling crowd of Moblins. "You'll be more useful up at the castle than here!"

It was true. Rosaria was the only one with more than short-range weapons. She was the one to keep the island Fungistuls busy. In the meantime, the soldiers of Myrennia needed help.

After Rosaria ordered most of the Moblins to follow Horacio to the castle, they sprinted off north. Horacio ended up in the rear, struggling to keep up with the athletic Moblins. As they rounded the eastern edge of the lake, they could see the gap that had been blown in the wall by the Fungistuls, and they aimed for it.

The shouts and clanging of metal grew in volume until they were at the hole in the wall. In the scene before them, the Fungistuls were greatly outnumbered, but it wasn't stopping them from doing a lot of damage. If they were allowed to get a breath and use more spells, it wouldn't be pretty. Horacio and the Moblins leapt through the wall, firmly grasping their weapons with eager hands.

* * *

"This bridge should take us right by their city," Tael explained, looking up at the wooden catwalk far above. "If only we can find a way up."

"Nonsense," Mohan stuttered. "We can just follow it from the ground."

"I don't think so," Tael answered. "There are some pretty nasty beasts on the ground up ahead. The bridge is the only safe way through."

Mohan sighed. "I'd hoped we wouldn't have to use much energy on the way, but I suppose if it's the only way..." He turned and faced the army, motioning to the sky. "Up to the bridge!"

Before Tael could wonder what he was doing, all the soldiers started floating into the air. He flinched as they all alighted on the bridge, expecting it to collapse any second.

"Don't worry; we're lighter than you think," Mohan explained, somehow reading Tael's mind.

"Um...good," Tael mumbled, trying to appear as though he wasn't stupefied and wishing Mohan couldn't see past it. He followed them up through the leaves, continuing to lead them on.

"Any idea how far it is to their city?" Mohan asked.

"Not a clue," Tael replied. "It's pretty close to the opposite side of the woods, but I don't know how far across the woods are."

The army followed the path through the treetops for half an hour. Several soldiers tossed the marble-sized spores back and forth to pass the time; others simply marveled at the increasingly large fungi and insects on either side of the walkway. Tael knew they were getting close when he spotted the ladder leading down to the ground on the right.

"We're almost there," Tael mentioned. "This should lead us by the city. It'll be at the end of a road going off to the right."

Sure enough, the fungus trees receded on the right to reveal a branch-off path leading straight to Fungistul City. The army was standing at its gates in no time.

"That's a rather big mushroom," Mohan commented, looking over the edge of the road at the thick blue stalk disappearing into the blackness below.

"Looks like everyone's gone," Tael observed, leading them through the glowing, silent streets of the city. "I don't really know where I'm going, so you're going to have to make the decisions now. You're a general; where would you keep your weapons?"

"I can't say I've ever fought in a war, but I'd probably store them underground somewhere," Mohan replied. "Did your friend ever mention seeing anything here?"

Tael cringed at the mention of Link. For a minute, the only sounds were the swishing of wind between the pale blue houses and the soft rustle of fabric as the army walked; their feet made no noise against the absorbant mushroom street.

"Sorry," Mohan offered.

_I'll bet you are,_ Tael thought. _And if you're reading my mind again, go to hell._

_Those are some pretty strong words,_ Mohan thought into Tael's mind.

_That was a pretty strong punishment for just standing there doing nothing,_ Tael replied.

_He stole from me, _Mohan explained._ The punishment has always been death. I'm not one to break tradition._

_Sometimes people try to figure out the truth before killing the first person they see for no good reason, _Tael argued.

_I saw him steal it, _Mohan answered._ What more evidence do I need?_

_I saw him _not_ steal it, _Tael shot back._ He was outside the whole time._

_As an outsider, you're not a reliable witness, _Mohan stated.

_Is that why you trusted me to lead you here? Because I'm unreliable? _Tael asked.

Mohan stopped sending thoughts. The army continued to walk down the street, waiting to find an important-looking building that might house weapons.

_I'd kill you if I could,_ Tael thought, hoping Mohan was still listening. The fairy then silently fumed.

"This building looks promising," Mohan said aloud, as if nothing had happened. Tael continued flying straight. Before he knew what was happening, he flew into the side of his orb, and it was pulled back towards the army. "We'll look in here. I want a group of you to follow me, but most of you need to stay and keep watch. You ten in the first five rows - come on."

The group entered the double doors of wood, dragging Tael behind in his floating prison. They found themselves in a huge room constructed completely of blue mushrooms. Tightly packed mushroom caps lined the floor and ceiling; the walls were made of log-like stalks. On the other end of the room was a cluster of fungus forming a throne. Several doors lined the edge of the room, but one was emitting more light than the others. Mohan quietly led the group towards that door.

When they reached the opening, they found a staircase that spiraled downwards. The hallway at the bottom was damp, but surprisingly bright. The mushroom-covered walls were so pale they looked nearly white. This would be a good place to start looking for the weapons. Cautiously, Mohan walked down the tunnel, glancing into side passages but not setting foot into them. If he didn't know where they went, he might as well stay on the path he was already on.

Gradually, the mushrooms grew sparser, and the hallway grew more blinding as glowing crystal was uncovered. Eventually the group had to rest for a few minutes in order to see properly. When their eyes adjusted, they could see they were in an incredibly smooth, clean-cut hallway made completely of crystal. Empty spaces lined the walls, ceiling and floor, and Mohan wondered if they were storage units.

His thoughts were soon confirmed when he caught a glimpse of dark objects in the midst of the light. Peering through the crystal wall, he could see medallions, swords, and old books stacked neatly in organized spaces.

"Get these out using as little energy as you can," Mohan quietly instructed the group. "We want to have enough power left to be able to use them."

While the Kenaks were busy concentrating on the crystal compartments, Tael aimlessly hovered along down the hallway. He could tell a lot of weapons were missing from their places, but equally many had been left behind. Was this where Link had been kept? It seemed to match his description. Tael wondered how often the crystal was used as a prison.

Suddenly he spotted a body housed in a chamber above the hallway. Startled, he flew back down the hallway, bumping into Mohan, who was trying to extract medallions from the wall. The man turned and looked at Tael strangely.

"What are you doing?" Mohan asked.

"The-there's someone over there," Tael stuttered.

"Where?" Mohan tensed.

"He...he's in one of those...compartments," Tael gasped.

"Don't scare me like that," Mohan sighed. "I thought you meant someone was coming. I'm kind of busy here."

"You need to get him out!" Tael demanded.

"I'm not doing anything that risky until I figure out how to safely get these medallions through the crystal," Mohan argued.

"Have you tried melting the crystal?" Tael suggested, trying to remember the few details Link had given him earlier.

"Melting?" Mohan thought for a moment. "I could try turning it into liquid, but it might use more energy."

"Can't you get energy back?" Tael asked.

"Got it," one of the men exclaimed, holding a stack of medallions. "I melted the crystal."

Mohan stared at Tael with squinted eyes. The fairy shrugged. After a few seconds and a groan, Mohan stood and followed Tael down the tunnel to where the fairy had seen the body.

"Make sure you catch him so he doesn't hit the floor," Tael warned. Mohan stretched his hands towards the ceiling, and the surface of the crystal started swirling. Soon the man inside the chamber started sinking through the liquid, and he was startled awake. Arms flailing, he fell into Mohan's arms. Mohan quickly set him on his feet and backed away, but the man fell over anyway, as if he hadn't used his legs for a long time.

"Wh-who are you?" the man muttered, one hand on his head. He was middle-aged, and he looked pretty healthy.

"I'm Tael, and this is Chief Mohan," Tael explained. "Who are you?"

"What year is it?" asked the man, ignoring Tael's question.

"Seven fifty-two," Tael replied.

"Sixteen forty-five," Mohan said at the same time. The two looked at each other.

"In Myrennian years?" the man asked. Both Tael and Mohan remained silent. "Never mind. You're obviously foreigners. I need to get to Hayen Village."

"What for?" Tael asked. "And you still haven't told us who you are."

"My family lives there," the man answered. "I'm Martel."

"Who's your family?" Tael questioned. "I might be able to help you; I know a few people."

"Well, if I've been kept here as long as I think I have, this is a long shot, but have you heard of either of my sons? Their names are Palter and Garod."

"You're Garod's _dad_?" Tael asked, his face draining of blood.

"I don't know how long it's been, but the Fungistuls have sort of kept me preserved at this age for a long time," Martel explained. "I think they might have forgotten about me. Does Garod look older than me now or something?"

* * *

Fungistul Vaults, year 506

"Sire, th' kid escaped with th' pearl," said Bronce, the small Fungistul standing in front of King Mushi.

"WHAT?" King Mushi exclaimed, standing to his feet.

"I dunno how it happened, sire," whimpered Bronce.

"You mean to tell me the humans have the pearl now?"

"Y-yes, sire."

The king groaned. "I want the guard doubled. In the meantime, the scientists need to get to work on making another one. When that's finished, we're going to war against the humans."

"That could take some time, sire."

"Do you want to keep your job, Bronce?"

"I'm on it," Bronce quickly replied, turning away. "Erm, I mean I'm on it, sire."

"Wait. Do you know the human soldier we have for questioning?" King Mushi asked.

"Of course, sire," Bronce answered.

"We're going to need him in the future, but not for a while," Mushi thought out loud. "I want you to keep him in storage. Prolong his life - whatever you need to do. We can talk to him again after we've created a new pearl. Just don't forget about him."

"I won't ferget, sire," Bronce affirmed before leaving the throne room.


	32. Chapter 32

Quick note: Before you begin this chapter, take heed in what I say. I expect all timeline theorists reading this fic to remain calm and refrain from attacking me. The last thing I want is a war over facts. Last time I checked, fan fiction did not have to be an exact copy of the storyline. I have taken a few liberties with this story and I'd appreciate if nobody complained. Thank you.

Chapter 32

Rosaria held up a dome of protection around her and the few Moblins who had stayed behind with her. A spray of freezing shards of ice evaporated in a cloud of steam around the shield. It was no use; neither Rosaria nor the Fungistuls could gain an advantage at the moment. Now that both sides knew of each other's presence, it was impossible to penetrate the enemy's barriers. If the Fungistuls would stop attacking continuously, she could try to think up a new plan.

"Rosaria!" shouted a Moblin. Rosaria glanced up from her thoughts and put up the shield again just in time to block another attack. "We need a strategy," said the same Moblin after the roaring of the ice subsided. "We can't keep wasting energy without doing any damage to them."

"Long-range attacks won't do any good anymore," offered another Moblin. "We don't know how much energy they have left, and we can't risk running out before them."

"It'll be dangerous to go into close combat," Rosaria warned, shaking her head.

"Everyone else is already fighting up at the castle," argued the first Moblin. At the sound of a whistling attack approaching, Rosaria projected the shield yet again.

"Yes, but they don't have to deal with the king," Rosaria explained, not letting the bombardment interrupt the conversation. "None of you would stand a chance when he was around."

"Wouldn't _you_?" asked the second Moblin. Rosaria paused for a moment. She knew he was right. She was the only one who could take on the king, and it would have to be a close-range battle. Letting down her guard for only a fraction of a moment could end in sudden death, but without risk there would be no victory.

Another incoming wave of ice tore through the air. The Moblins cringed as it neared, looking back and forth between Rosaria and the whitish splotch traveling through the sky. An instant before it hit, Rosaria gritted her teeth and held up a panel of light. The ice shot back off the panel, slamming into the lake. The water froze solid, creating a wide bridge with wave-shaped protrusions along the edges. Hesitant to cross the ice in fear of another fire attack, the Fungistuls could only watch in disbelief as Rosaria silently approached them by herself.

* * *

Horacio bashed his shield into a Fungistul's face, putting the creature in a daze. Its head came off cleanly in one sweep of Horacio's blade, landing at his feet with a puff of combined snow and bluish spores. 

_No spine,_ Horacio observed. _No blood, either._ He raised his sword quickly to block a Fungistul blade, twisting the weapon out of the creature's hands. Perhaps the jagged edges of the Fungistul swords were a good thing; they let him grip the metal with his own sword to toss it away. After sliding his sword through the Fungistul's stomach, Horacio turned to look for another victim.

A blast of blue magic swooped across the market, freezing anyone and anything in its path. Horacio gulped. The Fungistuls were starting to regain their energy, then. The Myrennian soldiers had nothing to protect themselves with; Horacio would have to hunt down the creatures who used magic and get rid of them soon. He caught a glance of one Fungistul raising its arms with a glowing blue orb between its hands, and he trudged through the snow in its direction, raising his magic shield.

The creature noticed him approaching and purposely aimed the attack in another direction. Horacio grimaced, throwing his body forward in an attempt to reach the magic. He fell short, tumbling into the snow as the spell soared over him. Fortunately, a Moblin with a similar shield was nearby, and he held the shield up, reflecting the attack back at the Fungistul.

Unaffected by the icy spell, the Fungistul angrily produced another orb. As it concentrated on an unprotected area, Horacio whirled in from behind, sending his blade through the creature's body. He gave the Moblin a thumbs up and jumped back into the battle, keeping an eye out for any more magic spurts.

* * *

Rosaria grasped the pure white hilt of her sword, unsheathing a long, bright red blade. With the sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, the blade illuminated her face as well as a circle of ice around her feet. She was standing in the center of the ice bridge, facing the Fungistuls on their island. 

"King Mushi!" she yelled. "Show yourself!"

After a few seconds, the short mushroom emerged from the crowd of Fungistuls, wielding two jagged blue swords. He slowly walked across the frozen water, keeping the swords at his sides. Before he got close, Rosaria spoke again.

"One rule," she specified. "No magic."

"Whatever you say, Miss," Mushi assured, seconds before going in for an attack.

Rosaria raised her sword, letting the blue blades whack against it in vain. The two circled each other a few feet apart, waiting for the right moment to attack, ready to defend themselves if the other attacked first. Mushi stumbled a little over a bump in the ice, and Rosaria thrust forward with her sword. Mushi managed to catch himself and stop her blade with the broken edges of his own.

Rosaria had to duck as Mushi took a swing at her with his other sword. She pushed him backwards by thrusting her sword against the edges of his and rolled away, sliding a few inches after coming to her feet. While Mushi tried to regain his balance, Rosaria leapt into the air, preparing to shove her blade down Mushi's head. Unable to bring his swords up in time, Mushi closed his eyes and whispered but one word.

Her eyes opened wide as Mushi disappeared beneath her. Her sword slammed into the ice, sending cracks everywhere. It was lodged in deep; she couldn't pull it out. Before she had time to spin around, the jagged edges of Mushi's sword ripped through her back, puncturing her armor and exiting through her stomach. Her mouth was wrenched open, and she coughed up blood. In an instant, the world transformed into one of darkness and shadows.

The water surrounding her was warm; too warm to have just melted. Glancing around, she found that the sky had turned a sickly purple color, and she could barely make out the shore in the darkness. Her skin had turned a pale green, and upon further inspection, she discovered that her abdomen was not injured. Several greenish shapes flailed helplessly in the water nearby; they were Fungistuls. Was she dead?

She swam between the thrashing Fungistuls, staring at them with horror. They seemed to be drowning, yet they continued floundering endlessly. Were these the Fungistuls who had drowned earlier? Was this a world where the dead continued to live?

Upon reaching shore, she found that nobody was in sight. She was about to start walking when she caught a glimpse of a shadow passing by. It belonged to no body; it simply walked along on the ground, depending on the dim sky's light for its existence. She began to follow it. After several yards, the shadow stopped, but she couldn't tell if it had turned around or not.

"Stop following me, you sicko," it threatened in a raspy voice.

"W-who are you?" Rosaria asked, a bit taken aback.

"It's none of your business," answered the shadow. "Just get lost."

"Just tell me why I'm here," Rosaria pleaded.

"The dark world?" asked the shadow. "Everyone goes here when they die. Don't get all depressed about it." So she was dead after all.

"How come you're just a shadow?" questioned Rosaria.

"I'm not dead," it answered, starting to walk away. "Now get over it and learn to live here. If you can call it living."

The shadow disappeared, heading around the lake to the west. After a few minutes, Rosaria turned around only to see two small glowing fairies; one was yellow and the other was blue.

"Did you see which way he went?" asked one.

"No," answered the other.

"He went that way!" Rosaria exclaimed, pointing in the direction the shadow had taken, hoping he was the one the fairies were talking about.

"Maybe he's in that castle over there," suggested the blue one, completely ignoring Rosaria.

"Hey! Listen!" shouted Rosaria. "He went west!"

The blue fairy flew away as if she was deaf. Unfortunately, the yellow one followed. Could they hear her? They didn't have a green color, so maybe they weren't dead. But the shadow wasn't dead, and he could hear her just fine. This was all so confusing.

Leaving the fairies to their fruitless search, Rosaria stared out towards the island in the middle of the lake, even though it was too dark to see. As the fairies faded into the distance, Rosaria's ears picked up one word: _Link_. She ran after the fairies, struggling to hear their conversation.

"Link can't be dead," the yellow one assured. "Dark Link is just trying to trick us. All we have to do is find him; you'll see."

The blue fairy was silent. Rosaria waited impatiently for more, but it never came. Apparently someone named Dark Link was claiming that Link was dead. If Link was dead, she might be able to find him with more information. She had to catch up with the shadow and find out the truth.

* * *

Tael and Mohan cautiously led the fully equipped Kenak army up the winding, icy staircase, wary of possible guards around every turn. There was no sound coming from above but a slight breeze whistling through the passageway. 

"What do we plan to do when we get to the top?" Tael whispered. "It might be difficult to attack from such a tight place."

"If the Fungistuls are up there, I'd assume they're alone," Mohan figured. "There's no sound. So if we find them there, we can probably take them out with some kind of large-scale magic attack. If they're all up at the castle fighting in the middle of the humans, we'll need a different strategy."

As the light started to fade away, Tael noticed the walls stop glowing. Instead of crystal, these blocks were made only of ice and stone. Ahead, the light appeared to be more natural somehow. The group slowed, increasing their guard. Tael suddenly dropped down to Mohan's level and stopped in front of him. Mohan quietly leaned his head forward and saw two mushroom creatures blocking the exit to the stairs. The tunnel came right out into the open air, and he could see the cloudy sky above. He pushed the army back down the stairs until he felt it was safe to whisper.

"If you take the bombos medallion and get to a safe height above the island, you should be able to take them all out at once," Mohan instructed Tael. "Go check it out, and come back if you think we can handle them without the medallion."

Mohan reached into a leather pouch at his side and pulled out a bronze medallion designed with four crescents curved in a spiral. Tael grabbed it, and he found that it was actually light enough to carry without much effort.

"How do you know what it does?" Tael asked.

"It's one of the many medallions stolen from us a long time ago," Mohan answered. "It's powerful enough to cover about a half mile diameter, and based on what we've seen, the Fungistuls may be weak to fire."

"But what does it do?" Tael asked again. "What's a safe height for dropping it?"

"It kills people, that's what it does," Mohan whispered harshly. "Just get about a half mile up and you'll be fine, though you might want to get out of the way of the smoke. Don't worry about us; I can put up a barrier. Just make sure the Fungistuls don't see you or else they can protect themselves from it as well."

That said, Mohan pushed Tael upwards through the air. Tael silently fluttered around the spiral staircase, and upon noticing that the Fungistuls at the top were looking in the opposite direction, he slipped out of the tunnel above their heads and landed softly on the stone roof of the staircase. He was on top of a tiny structure on the island in the middle of the lake, and there was only a small group of Fungistuls lounging around on the ground nearby.

Suddenly Tael noticed a glowing blue crown on the head of one of the shorter Fungistuls. Was this their king? If the small group had been composed only of normal Fungistuls, the Kenaks could probably take them on, but Tael wasn't sure what powers the king might hold. He considered going back into the tunnel to tell Mohan, but he didn't want to risk being seen now that he wouldn't be able to see where the guards were looking without showing himself.

The only thing to do was drop the medallion. He was sure it would be a worthy cause; getting rid of the king would send the rest of the Fungistul troops into disarray, wherever they were. He had made up his mind. He double checked the status of the small group on the ground; they were all watching Myrennia Castle intently. Shooting up into the sky, Tael discovered the rest of the Fungistul army behind the walls of the castle. Swirls of ice were tearing through the market, freezing everything over. Humans and Moblins were desperately trying to hold the Fungistuls back.

Unfortunately, dropping the medallion on the market would probably only result in the death of all the human and Moblin soldiers as well as the Fungistuls. Perhaps the effect of the bombos medallion on the island would be enough to distract them into noticing the absence of their king.

Reaching what he thought was about a half mile up, Tael gulped, staring at the medallion dangling from his hands. The land appeared so much smaller from up there; he could see over the vast forest to the base of the mountain ranges on the other side, where the dusty, yet peaceful Amathar Mountains abruptly changed into the black, storm-covered Haunted Mountains, disappearing into the Kenak Jungle to the north. The jungle where Link had died at the hands of the very people Tael was helping.

No, he was doing this for the Myrennians. And at the same time, he was doing it to destroy the Fungistuls, the only reason Link had even gone to the jungle in the first place, the only reason the pearl of darkness had ever been created.

Tael dropped the medallion.

* * *

A roaring explosion tore through the market, and a billowing cloud of orange and black soared into the gray sky, lighting up the field with a wave of heat. Pillars of fire twisted around each other, encompassing the island in the middle of the lake, popping into sparks without cease. Finally, as the deafening noise reached its peak, the flames disintegrated into small embers that floated down into the murky water, which had already been littered with the bodies of Moblins and Fungistuls. 

The market was completely silent but for the quiet sounds of plates of armor scraping against each other in small movements. After the sound of the explosion, nobody could really hear anything anyway.

Unable to see their king over the wall, most of the Fungistuls were still in a state of confusion and fear when the few humans and Moblins remaining regained their composure. The Fungistuls quickly snapped back into action after a sudden attack by the humans and Moblins, but with less energy than before. It would still take another miracle to defeat these mushroom warriors.

* * *

Greenish flames ripped through the dark sky, erupting in an ear-splitting thunderclap. Rosaria was knocked to the ground as a tidal wave of hot air sent her tumbling. When the sound faded away, Rosaria chanced a look up and noticed several tiny spots of green light across the lake where she figured the island was located. Could King Mushi have been killed? 

Opting not to let it distract her, she stood and continued running, scanning the ground for a hint of Dark Link's shadow. She finally saw it ahead about to enter the trees and quickened her pace into a sprint. Without thinking, she dove at the shadow, unexpectedly ramming into an invisible body and shoving it to the ground.

"What are you doing?" the shadow screamed at her.

"I'm not getting off until you tell me just what's going on," Rosaria demanded. "Who are you and what have you done with Link?"

"I said it's none of your business," Dark Link answered. "Unless you plan to hold me down forever, you're not going to get anywhere."

"You may be invisible, but that doesn't mean I can't kill you," Rosaria threatened, not completely sure whether or not she was telling the truth. It seemed to work, because the shadow grew silent. "Now, you're going to tell me who you are, what you're doing here, and what you know about Link."

Dark Link thought silently. If this fairy knew Link, perhaps she was his good side's only chance. However, she would be equally harmful to his evil side. Unable to decide, his only option was to leave it up to Rosaria.

"Pretend I'm holding the answers in one of my hands," Dark Link began, feeling somewhat stupid, even though the process was necessary. "Pick one. Right or left."

"You're kidding, right?" Rosaria responded.

"Believe me, it's the only way for me to decide."

"Well, if you insist," Rosaria gave in. "If I guess the wrong hand, though, I won't hesitate to hurt you."

"Sounds fair," Dark Link joked, not sure whether he was glad or worried.

"Then I guess the left hand," Rosaria replied. Dark Link was quiet for a moment.

"My name is Dark Link," he began, struggling to hold back his evil side. "I guess I'd better start at the beginning. A while back, a man named Ganondorf tried to take over Hyrule, the land Link comes from. After time traveling to the future, Link was able to defeat this man. A princess named Zelda sent Link back to the past, where he had come from. Ganondorf was still free in this age, but Link was able to warn the king. Ganondorf was executed before he got the chance to obtain the Triforce of Power."

"You're confusing me," Rosaria complained.

"I'm just giving you the short version," Dark Link replied. "Anyway, as you now know, people enter this dark world when they die. Well, Ganondorf is stuck there right now. He hopes that after coming back into the world of light using the pearl of darkness, injecting the blood of Link will allow him access to the Master Sword and the sacred realm, where he would try to get the Triforce."

Rosaria was left in silence.

"I left out a few details here and there," Dark Link added.

"...So, the pearl of darkness can bring people back to life?" Rosaria managed to ask.

"That's what I've been told," Dark Link answered.

_So that's why the Fungistuls want the pearls so badly,_ Rosaria concluded.

"I believe that answers all your questions," Dark Link interrupted her thoughts.

"Then Link is dead?" Rosaria asked.

"Of course. If you meet him, make sure to say hi for me." Without warning, Dark Link suddenly shoved Rosaria to the side and scurried out from under her, disappearing into the western woods.

* * *

While most of the Kenaks had gone up to the castle to help fight, Martel, Tael, and a handful of Kenaks for protection trudged south through the forest to the ruins of Hayen Village. All were shocked at the sight of the rubble strewn about the clearing, but Tael and Martel most of all. 

"Did those creatures do this?" Martel gasped.

"It looks like it," Tael replied, taking note of the orange mushrooms that had sprouted amidst the debris.

"If that's the same tree..." Martel mumbled to himself, marking out steps across the stone and wood covering the ground, "then the house should be in...this general area..."

"What are you doing?" Tael asked.

"I'm trying to find out if you're telling the truth," Martel answered as he lifted beam after beam of splintered, charred wood. Tael waited breathlessly. For some reason it felt wrong to be digging up the demolished town.

Soon a clatter of wood against stone echoed through the clearing, and Martel shoved aside the stray planks of wood covering the dark hole in the ground he had uncovered.

"This is the right place. Here was our basement," Martel announced, leaning to step down into the hole. Before he got the chance, someone else poked his head up from the basement. Tael's mouth dropped open. His shock didn't come even close to the expressions of Martel and Garod as they stared at each other, both very much alive.


End file.
